Freckle

Image:Closeup of redhead Daisy with freckles.jpg Freckles are small tan spots of melaninon the skinof people with fair complexion.

Predispositionto freckles is genetic and is related to the presence of the melanocortin-1 receptor MC1Rgene variant. Freckling is caused by the same process as that which produces sun tanning, although the distribution of melanin is uneven. Most people who have freckles have light skin.

Freckles are predominantly found on the face, although they may appear on any skin exposed to the sun. They are rare on infants, but more common on childrenaged 5 to 12 than on adults.

Upon exposure to the sun freckles will reappear if they have been altered with Creamsor lasers. Freckles are not a skin disorder. People with a predisposition to freckles may be especially susceptible to sunburn and skin cancer, and should therefore take extra care to protect themselves in the sun. Many freckles fade with age.

Quotes

"A face without freckles is like a night without stars!" Stephen Majercik, Ph.D.

See also

• Beauty mark
• Mole (skin marking)

External links

• Redheads & Freckles

• Sexual Selection for Freckles and Red Hair

• Experiments by researchers at McGill University, Montreal, Canada with mutant yellow-orange mice and human redheads, both with non-functional Mc1r, show that both genotypes display reduced sensitivity to noxious stimuli and increased analgesic responsiveness to morphine-metabolite analgetics. [1]

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This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.
It uses material from the http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freckle Wikipedia article Freckle.