Freckles are small, a few millimetres wide, brown spots often seen in fair-skinned, red-haired people. They can appear from early childhood. They tend to fade with age. They form on sun-exposed areas such as the face, hands, chest and back. These brown spots are caused by a build-up of melanin, a pigment produced by the skin. They darken when exposed to the sun and fade when not. Larger sun spots, which we call lentigos, also increase with sun exposure and are seen more often with age, but unlike freckles, they don't lighten when not exposed to the sun.
Treating freckles isn't necessary and is done for cosmetic reasons. Our aim is to eliminate them as much as possible or reduce their visibility. Freckles can reappear after treatment. Chemical peels, brightening treatments, cryotherapy, laser and light treatments can be used. Chemical peels and brightening treatments can be insufficient in many cases; laser and light sources are considered more effective methods.