What are Freckles?

“Frecklesnoot!” Reggie Mantle would always say to his red-headed rival, Archie Andrews. It’s an insult directed at one of Archie’s distinguishing features: his freckles. Apparently, acne isn’t the only thing that shows up on our skin that causes us embarrassment.

While the eternal teenagers of Riverdale are just comic book characters, they’ve always been faithful to the decades that they lived. They reflect teenage styles (albeit a softer version). Throughout the decades, Archie is still harassed by Reggie with the word, frecklesnoot.

Freckles are small, flat, spots on the skin, which are darker than the rest. At times, they overlap which makes them look larger. They’re usually found on people, who look like Archie Andrews, with pale fair skin and light hair. Freckles on children are fairly common. Freckles can also be found on people with darker skin but it is rare. They’re caused by an increase in the amount of melanin, a substance that gives skin color, found in that part of the skin. Melanin is produced by the skin to protect itself from the sun’s dangerous ultraviolet rays. The skin’s melanin production is, therefore, tied to the sun. The sun can help cause freckles or darken existing ones.

There are two types of freckles: simple freckles and sunburn freckles. Simple freckles are tiny and round. It’s usually caused by a hereditary trait or the person’s skin type. If you avoid the sun, this type of freckles can fade. Winter is commonly a great time for this to happen, with its lack of sun and cool temperature, which makes human wary of going outside. Sunburn freckles are larger and have a jagged shape. They do not fade during winter and they are usually darker than the simple freckle. They’re not as common as the simple freckles and sometimes appear in isolated spots.

Freckles are not a health problem. They do not do much harm except for the teasing that they suffer. However there are limits to teasing and many children and teenagers want to get rid of their freckles. This is a complicated question because it’s both easy and hard.

It’s easy because one of the best ways to remove freckles is to wait it out. Children usually outgrow freckles after a certain age. There’s also the seasonal nature of freckles. It can come and go with the sun. Freckles multiply in the summer and fade in the winter. Avoiding the sun and using skin lotions that protect you from the sun may also work.

It’s hard because waiting doesn’t exactly give immediate relief. Pimples can be popped. But with freckles, you’re reduced to waiting until it’s gone. There are other ways to get rid of freckles but they’re either expensive or they just make the wait a bit faster.

• Bleaching creams. This will try to lighten your skin. It’s not very effective. If the skin lightens evenly then the dark freckle will lighten at the same pace as the rest of your skin. Some of these creams have side effects such as redness, drying and peeling
• Chemical peels. This is a long-term treatment. It will lighten the freckle gradually.
• Laser Resurfacing. It’s an expensive treatment to burn off the offending parts of your skin whether it’s a freckle, an age spot or a wrinkle.
• Intense Pulsed Light Therapy. Instead of using focused lasers, it uses intense broadband light. It’s also expensive and it requires a series of treatments.

Before embarking on a quest to get rid of your freckles, consult your doctor. 

For freckles, the best way to get rid of it is to take the easy path. Wait it out and take the teasing with good grace. Archie Andrews did. Freckles never stopped him from getting a girl.