It is commonly believed that the sun kisses only red-haired people, but this is not true. Freckles can appear in any person and heredity does not play a role here. Yes, they can be present in generations in a family, but the gene responsible for their appearance has never been identified. 
These are small pigment spots on the skin. They most often appear on the face and hands, but can sometimes appear throughout the body. The cause of freckles is the presence of melanin dye in human skin.
Two types of freckles 
The familiar light brown spots that are most often found on the face and hands are called ephelides. They can lighten and darken depending on the time of year.
And there are also lentigines. They are also called age spots. They begin to appear in those areas of the skin where the most melanocyte cells accumulate. They are noticeable regardless of the time of year.
Devil's Mark 
In the Middle Ages, it was believed that a girl with freckles was certainly a witch. It was the red-haired and freckled ones that were most often hunted. And until the 20th century, it was generally believed that age spots and dark skin were a sign of a poor person. After all, only traders and peasants spent a lot of time in the sun.
Freckles are not a congenital pigment. 
Often, spots begin to appear in children at 4-6 years of age. But it happens that they appear only in adults, when a person is in the sun for too long and the cells begin to produce more melatonin.
Pierce Bronson gene 
There is a rare species of people who have dark hair, blue eyes and at the same time have freckles. The IRF4 gene is responsible for this and it was named after the Hollywood actor, since it was in him that all these traits came together.
Heredity 
Yes, they cannot necessarily be transmitted from parents to child. But the number of freckles depends on the MC1R gene, which controls which specific types of melanin the skin will produce: pheomelanin and eumelanin. Those whose MC1R gene is not active produce reddish pheomelanin and this is what leads to the appearance of freckles and blond hair. About 20% of red-haired people do not have freckles.
By the way, those with freckles should be more attentive to their health; they are more susceptible to skin cancer.
Do you like freckles? Or do you prefer skin without them?
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