From Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Extremely freckled girls. Freckles cover the face, chest and shoulders
Freckles are clusters of concentratedmelanin that are most often visible with a fairskin complexion. Freckles are predominantly found on the face, although they may appear on any skin exposed to the sun, such as the lips, neck, arms, neck, shoulders, back and chest.
They are aninherited trait, caused by variation in the MC1Rgene that is involved in the determination of redhair, fair skin, and freckles.[1] Freckle formation is triggered through exposure to sunlight.
Two types of melanin, the red pheomelanin and the black eumelanin, are present in human skin. Eumelanin protects against sunlight. People with red hair have mostly pheomelanin in their hair and skin and/or a reduced ability to produce eumelanin. This may explain why they fail to tan and are at risk from theultraviolet radiation in sunlight.[2]
About 1.5 billion people in the world have freckles. About 75 per cent of Filipino people have freckles.
↑ Valverde P.et al. 1995. Variants of the melanocyte-stimulating hormone receptor gene are associated with red hair and fair skin in humans.Nature Genet.11: 328-330
