If you tan every day, new freckles may start making a home on your face. And while they may look cute, freckles that suddenly appear or darken after sun bathing could be a sign of sun damage, dermatologist Keira Barr told Byrdie.
"The appearance of freckles, technically called ephelides, is a tell-tale sign of excessive sun exposure on unprotected skin," Barr told Byrdie. According to the dermatologist, these freckles are typically seen in areas often exposed to the sun, such as the face, hands, and arms. However, there's no need to panic if you happen to have freckles in these places. As Dr. Joshua Zeichner told Byrdie, freckles aren't necessarily cause for concern, unlike certain moles and sun spots, "Under the microscope, freckles have a normal number of pigment-producing cells that produce extra amounts of pigment," Zeichner explained.
Still, Barr recommends visiting your dermatologist regularly, as freckles could be indicators of UV damage — and perhaps an increased risk of skin cancer. "Individuals with a high density of freckles were found to have a greater risk for developing melanoma than those without freckles," Barr told Byrdie.
