Freckles come out on the skin due to sunlight exposure and are a great way for protecting against harmful UV exposure.
![Here’s the Science Behind How Freckles Appear on the Skin
Here’s the Science Behind How Freckles Appear on the Skin](https://images.medindia.net/health-images/1200_1000/red-heads-skin-cancer.jpg)
‘Freckles appearance depends on a gene called MC1R. An active MC1R gene produces eumelanin leading to darker skin while an inactive gene produce pheomelanin leading to fairer skin, blonde or red hair and a propensity for freckles.’
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People with freckles have tiny spots of melanin while people without freckles have even melanin spread. The tiny spots containing higher amounts of melanin gets darker due to sunlight exposure and becomes fainter with lesser sunlight. ![twitter](https://images.medindia.net/icons/news/social/twitter.png)
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The cause of freckles is attributed to be genetic where a gene called as MC1R instructs cells to produce melanin. This gene is responsible for production of a type of melanin called as eumelanin.
Melanin is produced by specialized cells called as melanocytes. There are two types of melanin which is responsible for different colored skin tones. Eumelanin is dark brown to black color while pheomelanin is red to yellow in color.
Therefore, an active MC1R gene will produce more of eumelanin leading to darker skin while an inactive gene will produce more pheomelanin, increasing the chances of having a fairer skin, red hair and freckles.
MC1R is said to be responsible for two traits namely red hair and freckles. Freckles is a dominant trait while red hair is a recessive trait. Not all people with red hair have freckles nor all people with freckles have red hair.
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Source-Medindia