• Question: what is the purpose of freckles?

    Asked by maevelewisxo to Damien, Rachael, Simon, Suzi, Tim on 16 Jun 2011.
    • Photo: Suzi Gage

      Suzi Gage answered on 14 Jun 2011:

      Hi @maevelewisxo
      Thanks for the question.
      I’m not sure there is a purpose of freckles. They are made of melanin (the pigment in your skin that goes dark when you go in the sun, the bit that makes you tan). People who freckle tend to be more likely to burn in the sun, and this may be because the melanin is clustered in some places (the freckles) and missing in other places (the white skin between the freckles)

      Albinos are a type of people with no melanin at all, they are really pale skinned, have white hair, and going out in the sun is very dangerous for them, so melanin seems to protect the skin a bit from sunlight (although even people with lots of melanin in their skin can still burn).

      I hope this answers your question a little bit 🙂

    • Photo: Damien Hall

      Damien Hall answered on 16 Jun 2011:

      Aren’t freckles little spots of sun-damage? I think they are. If so, they don’t have a purpose – they just happen when you’re a little bit too exposed to the sun. But I don’t think they’re harmful either!

Comments