Kids Ask:
Why do we get freckles?

Aired on Lifetime Television
Sunday, April 30 and August 13, 2006

Show 313

Freckles are just a group of cells that contain color. They're not harmful or the sign of a health problem. They are just cells that contain color that are in your skin in small batches. Someone with a light complexion has less melanin in his or her skin. Melanin is a chemical produced by certain skin cells that helps protect the skin from sun damage by reflecting and absorbing ultraviolet rays. The more melanin you have in your skin, the tanner you look! People with fair skin have less melanin in their skin to begin with, but some of their skin cells make more melanin when exposed to the sun. So instead of easily getting an even suntan, they sometimes get freckles. So they really are 'tiny tans'. There's not much you can do to get rid of them, although avoiding the sun and wearing sun screen might help to keep them light. But you'll be happy to know that a lot of people think that freckles are beautiful.