Freckles (ephelids) are small, multiple, yellowish-brownish pigmented spots of rounded shape, localized mainly on open areas of the body (face, shoulders, arms, back, chest). The first rashes of freckles usually appear at the age of 5-6, reaching a maximum during puberty, the cause of their occurrence is a hereditary factor. The number increases many times in the spring-summer period under the influence of sunlight. In winter, their manifestations are less noticeable. The manifestation is more pronounced in people with light or red hair, their number decreases with age. A moderate amount gives the face a certain charm and charm.
ICD 10
L81.2 Freckles
General information
Freckles (ephelids) are small, multiple, yellowish-brownish pigmented spots of rounded shape, localized mainly on open areas of the body (face, shoulders, arms, back, chest). The first rashes of freckles usually appear at the age of 5-6, reaching a maximum during puberty, the cause of their occurrence is a hereditary factor. The number of freckles increases many times in the spring-summer period under the influence of sunlight. In winter, their manifestations are less noticeable. The manifestation of freckles is more pronounced in people with light or red hair, their number decreases with age. A moderate amount of freckles gives the face a certain charm and charm.
Cause of freckles
In the appearance of freckles, a crucial role is played by a hereditary factor associated with a change in the structure of melanocyte cells synthesizing the pigment melanin: melanocytes begin to produce melanin much more intensively. In addition, their uneven distribution in the skin under the influence of ultraviolet rays does not lead to an even tan, but to the appearance of freckles. In fair-haired and red-haired people with blue eyes, whose skin contains an insufficient amount of melanin, freckles are especially numerous. Freckles are a kind of protective reaction of the skin to ultraviolet radiation, saving from sunburn and malignant degeneration of skin cells.
In addition to heredity, the appearance of freckles is influenced by hormonal imbalance, stress, liver and gallbladder diseases, hypovitaminosis, frequent peels. Therefore, in a number of cases, we should not talk about the treatment of freckles, but about the prevention of their occurrence.
Prevention
To prevent the rash of freckles with the onset of spring, foods rich in ascorbic and nicotinic acid (vitamin C and PP) should be included in the diet, the lack of which leads to increased skin pigmentation. Vitamin C is obtained with many fruits and vegetables, and nicotinic acid is found in chicken meat, beef, liver, buckwheat.
The skin’s addiction to ultraviolet light should be gradual, not sharp, so that the pigment production is more uniform. In sunny weather, you need to wear a hat with a brim or a sun umbrella. You should not appear in the sun from 11 to 15 hours, during the period of the highest solar activity.
Going outside, starting from March and until autumn, sunscreen with an SPF of 15 to 30 should be applied to the skin. Natural ingredients included in creams and lotions, such as milkweed and celandine juice, coffee extract, cocoa butter, can reduce the negative effects of ultraviolet light on the skin. Powdering the skin with a powder containing quinine or salol also has a protective property. After pre-cleansing the skin at night, you can apply a whitening cream to the problem areas.
Folk remedies for removing freckles
There are many folk methods of combating freckles based on the use of herbal remedies with a whitening effect. Freckles can be bleached by rubbing the skin with lemon juice diluted in water (a few lemon slices per glass of cool water) or parsley juice (2 teaspoons finely chopped parsley greens per 1 cup of boiling water). Rubbing the skin with the juice of fresh cucumber, grapefruit or black currant gives a good effect. The substances contained in them, penetrating into the skin, oxidize the pigment and make the skin lighter. Dairy products (sour milk, koumiss, kefir, curdled milk) have a mild, non-irritating whitening effect. Alcohol cucumber lotion is effective for removing freckles. Cucumber seeds are infused with 40-degree ethyl alcohol or vodka for 2 weeks, then filtered and diluted with water in a ratio of 1:10. Daily rubbing of the skin with cucumber lotion or 5-10-minute masks significantly lighten pigmentation. The infusion of dandelion flowers also has a lightening effect on the skin. A handful of flowers are poured with a glass of boiling water, cooled and filtered. This infusion is applied to the places of accumulation of freckles. An effective means of getting rid of freckles is a mask made from a mixture of horseradish and sour milk (for a quarter cup of milk – 1 tablespoon of oat flour and half a teaspoon of grated horseradish). The mask is applied in a thin layer to the pigmented areas of the skin for 15-20 minutes.
Bleaching lotions and masks should be applied to the skin in the evening, so that after their application they do not appear in the sun. Phytocomponents are also included in the composition of ready-made whitening cosmetic creams and lotions, which also include a complex of vitamins and an emollient base. The duration of their treatment is from 2 to 4 weeks. Creams are applied to pre-cleansed skin with light movements, in the morning the remnants of the cream are removed with a cosmetic napkin or washing with soap.
Removal of freckles from a cosmetologist
Uneven accumulation of the coloring pigment melanin in the epidermis is manifested on the skin in the form of freckles. Therefore, the removal of freckles is possible only together with the removal of the surface layer of the skin. For this purpose, in aesthetic cosmetology, chemical methods of removing freckles are used – peels with a complex of acids that provide skin whitening. Removal of freckles is also possible by the method of hardware peeling – skin resurfacing with an alexandrite and erbium laser. Exfoliating and depigmenting effect have special medicinal compositions of local action (“lotions”). For example, a mixture of salicylic alcohol with a white mercury ointment, a bodyguard and a 20% solution of phenol causes peeling of the upper layer of the epidermis and bleaching of pigment spots. Mercury-containing drugs are used for no more than a week and strictly as prescribed by a doctor, since they have a number of contraindications to use.
The method of diathermocoagulation can be resorted to to remove senile freckles.
In some cases, the removal of freckles is carried out by quartz skin, causing its peeling. Usually 10 sessions held every other day are enough. This method is good for people who have to spend a lot of time outdoors, in the sun. Freckles disappear, and at the same time, the sensitivity of the skin to ultraviolet light decreases. Quartz irradiation of the skin is carried out under the supervision of a specialist.
Most procedures for whitening and exfoliating freckles lead to the early formation of wrinkles, dryness and premature aging of the skin. Therefore, take a good look at yourself in the mirror and think, maybe you should still accept yourself as nature created you: mischievous, cute, with freckles scattered fervently? If you still decide to fight freckles, then start with gentle natural remedies. And even better – do not wait for the sun to “decorate” you with freckles and take preventive measures in advance, while the sun’s rays are not so active.
Prognosis of freckle removal
Only a part of people constantly “wears” freckles on themselves, for the majority it is a seasonal phenomenon that takes place in the cold season. The appearance of freckles is much easier to prevent than to treat. And, despite the large selection of methods to combat freckles offered by folk and modern medicine, the point in solving this problem has not yet been set. Only competent and qualified help from specialists will allow you to minimize the appearance of freckles or even completely get rid of them.
