My Skin Care Routine –Beyond Sunscreen

May 27, 2019May 27, 2019 by madelynsmark ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

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Unfortunately, when I googled “care for freckled skin” a lot of the posts that came up were still about getting rid of freckles, or how to “deal” with them (lookin’ at you Allure). But care for freckled skin goes beyond daily sunscreen. Although, and I can’t emphasize this next part enough, SUNSCREEN SHOULD BE A DAILY PART OF YOUR RITUAL.

Now that that’s out of the way, freckles are an indicator that we have skin sensitive to the sun’s rays, so other impacts besides freckles and sunburning may be happening that we can’t see. Dehydration, for example, may exacerbate or speed up the development of fine lines.

The skincare and cosmetics industry stays churning out a never-ending supply of “must have” products that promise everything from youth to impossible beauty standards. Instead of making impulsive, emotional decisions motivated by my own deep-seated insecurities about the way I look, I tend to turn to reddit to make informed decisions about skincare products. I can’t recommend the subreddit r/skincare_addiction enough. It’s a deep reservoir of information and testimonials about skincare products, routine orders, and which products are worth the hefty price tags these skincare products often carry.

While you’re sifting through that massive archive of information, here’s my daily skincare routine. It’s really about finding what works for your unique skin type, but these are the products that have been kind to my skin and effective in addressing my skin issues. I have that stellar combination of oily and dry skin—so I tend to avoid products that are heavy and will make me look like I’m sweating profusely all day, but I still need that added moisture to quench my skin.

Morning Routine

Rinse with cold water, pat dry.
Apply eye serum oil. I use the “Eye Serum” from Thesis. It’s a natural and organic combination of oils that stays smooth under my make up and isn’t too heavy. The oils include Jojoba, Grapeseed, Argan, Rosehip, Lavender, Palmarosa, Blue Chamomile, and Vitamin E. The 1 oz bottle runs around $18, but it lasts me an entire year.
Let it dry, drink coffee/eat breakfast.
Apply daily light sunscreen. For freckled people it’s wise to find a sunscreen you can wear year-round that isn’t too strong in the odor department and goes on smooth under make up. Read my earlier review and recommendation of Coola.
Brush teeth while letting the sunscreen set a little. Apply make up.

Evening Routine

Remove make up/wash skin. I get worried about stripping my skin of its natural oils, so I typically only use make up remover and water at the end of the day. Pat dry.
When skin is completely dry, I use Avene Retrinal Eyes. I gently tap this around any fine lines and crows feet I see starting to form, and then smooth it around the brow bone. This product uses a less intense form of Retrinaldehyde safe for the delicate eye area, but everyone should be careful when trying retinoids for the first time. They supply skin with vitamin A when used topically, but some people have negative reactions like burning and irritation.
After the Avene sets, about 15 minutes, I apply more oil. In the evening I prefer Mountain Rose Herbs Restorative Skin Oil. This is my time to really go nuts with the moisturizing since no one will see my overly-shiny face except my husband and my pillow case. Its divine smell also helps me drift off to sleep.

That’s my basic routine. And as my mom always tells me, don’t forget your neck! What are your go to products? Drop a comment or email me at freckledtheblog@gmail.com.

7 DIY Sunburn Remedies Made From Household Items

May 26, 2019May 27, 2019 by madelynsmark ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Sometimes sunscreen application goes wrong, and we have to deal with the aching, glaring soreness of a sunburn. Unfortunately, sunburns are a consequence I’m all too familiar with. But I’ve also learned how to alleviate the pain, itching, and peeling with natural ingredients found in most kitchen pantries.

Natural Relief for the Sunburned Freckled Person

Vinegar

One of my worst cases of sunburn happened when I was living in Guam. I loved playing in the Pacific Ocean and wasn’t aware how often the island sun would require me to reapply sunscreen. Fast forward a few hours and I’m tomato red with a serious case of sun poisoning.

A severe burn can cause the most subtle movement to hurt the entire body. It’s exhausting, and requires a more intense treatment. That’s how I found myself holding my nose and taking a bath in distilled white vinegar. While odorous, I could bare it for the relief it gave my skin.

Bonnie K. McMillen, R.N., B.S.N., college health nurse at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford, told Livestrong that vinegar helps balance the PH levels of sunburned skin, kills germs that could cause infection, and relieves pain.

Aloe Vera

Sometimes the best medicine grows straight from the ground. In the case of sunburns, Aloe Vera stores a thick, clear gel in its leaves that can soothe an angry sunburn. Studies have shown that the Aloe plant species contains Aloin, which combats inflammation. For that reason, Aloe Vera gel is excellent for sunburns as well as rashes, first- and second-degree burns, and even some allergic reactions to bugs and flora.

If you don’t feel like running to convenience store, Aloe plants are fairly easy to grow. Aloe Vera plants are considered a succulent, meaning they prefer drier soil–no worries if you forget to water this plant for a little while. Plant them in a well-draining container and make sure they have six to eight hours of direct sunlight, and you’ll have a personal supply of Aloe leaves.

Green Tea

Photo by Aleksandar Cvetanović on Pexels.com

Green tea is an excellent treatment and relief remedy for singed skin. The National Center for Biotechnology Information found that in a controlled study, green tea significantly healed burned skin faster than sunburned skin that didn’t use any topical remedy.

Green tea contains compounds like polyphenols, which have been proven to have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. To spot-treat a burn, simply make green tea as you normally would. Enjoy your tea, and chill the bags by leaving them in the fridge. Apply the green tea bags to the sunburned area for relief. For more coverage, chill all the green tea, then dip a rag into the liquid and dab onto your body.

Greek Yogurt

Greek yogurt is both good for the gut and the skin. Its high concentration of vitamin B can help in cell regeneration of the skin, and the riboflavins keep skin hydrated. So have a snack while you’re soothing a sunburn and save a spoonful for your skin.

Plain Water

A sunburn isn’t just an indicator that the top layers of skin are damaged. Dehydration inside the body often goes hand in hand with scorched skin cells. And, if the body isn’t hydrated, it makes it all the more difficult for your parched skin cells to recover and repair the damage.

Jeffrey Brackeen, MD, advises the Skin Cancer Foundation that sunburned skin actually draws liquids out of the body, making dehydration a greater possibility for sunburned people. To prevent this, it’s important to drink an excessive amount of water while recovering.

Chilled Petroleum Jelly

That study published in NCBI that mentioned the effectiveness of green tea on healing sunburns also studied the use of vaseline. Turns out, it’s just as helpful at speeding up the repair and recovery of a burn.

Reader’s Digest also reports that vaseline keeps quenched sunburns hydrated, and chilling the jar in the fridge first will provide some sweet relief for the aching pain.

Honey

Honey is a super power food that also has an amazing impact on sunburns. According to a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Dermatology, “honey provides a moist healing environment, rapidly clears infection, deodorizes, and reduces inflammation, edema, and exudation. Also, it increases the rate of healing by stimulation of angiogenesis, granulation, and epithelialization, making skin grafting unnecessary and giving excellent cosmetic results.”

We’ll take it! Honey works great as a quick and easy face mask for cosmetic purposes, and the U.S. military uses it in combat today to clear out infections in open wounds. Honey is everything.

I’d love to hear how you stop the itching, peeling, redness that comes with sunburns. Drop me a comment or email me at freckledtheblog@gmail.com with your favorite sunburn remedies!

When sunscreen application has gone wrong the worst can happen—sunburn. But there are practical, easy ways to heal and manage scorched skin.

5 Freckled Celebrities Who Don’t Cover Up the Spots

May 26, 2019May 27, 2019 by madelynsmark ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

More celebrities are embracing their bare-faced freckles than ever before. And we love seeing the spots, smatterings, and spatterings on TV and in the movie theater. Here are some of the latest celebs who are on the freckle acceptance wave.

Maya Rudolph

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It’s impossible not to notice Maya Rudolph’s peppering, and we love her for those dots! But Hollywood didn’t always accept them, and Rudolph recalls a time when her freckles worked against her dreams of being on the screen.

“(It’s) so shocking to my eight-year-old self,” the actress told InStyle U.S. “It’s so interesting to see that natural skin and freckles have become trendy when for years directors asked me to cover mine.”

We’re thankful that she wasn’t stopped by freckle-shaming directors, and she boldly wears her freckles in hilarious movies like the new release on Netflix, Wine Country.

Alia Shawkat

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Arrested Development fans know Alia as “Maeby,” the devious cousin. Though she left the show in 2018, she’s now working on projects like the film Animals, which premiered at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival.

When it comes to her sprinkling of freckles, Alia told Conan O’Brien in an interview that she “learned to own them.”

“My friends used to put on make up and I always felt like I had a dirty face,” Alia said. “Now I love them, I feel like they’re the only I have goin for me.”

Kesha

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In 2019, Kesha posted a bare-faced photo to Instagram and declared that her resolution was to truly love herself as she is. It has been a transformative couple of years for the singer, who released her Rainbow album in 2017 in the midst of an intense legal battle.

We’re glad to see that she’s taking time to love and accept herself, and she has plenty of freckles to show off!

Sharon Purser

https://www.instagram.com/p/BjFeE8dHa7t/

Shannon Purser may have left Netflix’s 80s nostalgia series Stranger Things permanently in season one, but luckily for us Netflix noticed the freckle faced stars’ following and hired her for other projects. Recently, she upgraded from best friend to main character in the Netflix movie Sierra Burgess Is a Loser.

In an interview with Lady Gunn, Purser describes how her skin care routine and attitude toward her freckles have evolved. “I’m very into the fresh-faced beauty now. I used to like do the whole Instagram ‘beat your face’ and contour and it’s beautiful but it’s a lot of work. And I have freckles, so I like to show them off.”

Shailene Woodley

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Shailene Woodley has been plenty busy filming season 2 of Big Little Lies, which premieres June 9, 2019 on HBO. Shailene’s career started as the main character, Amy, on the ABC Family show, The Secret Life of the American Teenager.

But Shailene’s career really took off when she became the lead in the teen dystopian movie Divergent. As her career has progressed Shailene has also been vocal and present in her activism for climate change and environmental justice.

Shailene’s freckles are of the light smattering variety, but we think they’re the perfect accent to an already lovely face!

Who are your favorite freckle faced stars? Let me know at freckledtheblog@gmail.com or by commenting!

Freckle Folklore, Mythology, and Superstition

May 25, 2019May 27, 2019 by madelynsmark ♥ 1 Comment

Before I enlisted in the Air Force, I had to go through the Military Entry Processing Station (MEPS), along with every other enlisted person. I prefer to call it the cattle line, because during MEPS every part of your physical well-being is tested, so it’s a long day of being poked, prodded, squeezed, and duck walking.

At one point during the physical, I had to strip down to my underwear while an older physician checked for skin issues and other woman-related health risks. When she saw me in my whitie tighties, she said “What’s wrong with your arms and chest?” and grabbed my arm to get a closer look.

“They’re just freckles … ” I said.

“Oh, she clucked. Good thing they’re not on your face.” (They are on my face, I was just wearing foundation that day.) Her thick accent let me know she wasn’t from the U.S., but I couldn’t pinpoint where she was from exactly.

Freckles have long been misunderstood and considered strange to people who haven’t had a lot of contact with them.

Often, freckles’ rarity has spurred superstitious stories so folks can make sense of them.

Here are a few mythologies centered on the little dots.

Freckles Mark the Witch

Around the 5th century AD, it was a dangerous time to be a freckled person because freckles were associated with witches. To determine if a freckle was truly a witch’s mark, or even the devil’s mark, a professional pricker would jab at the alleged witch with a sharp tool all over her body. If she didn’t yell out, it was a sure sign that she was a witch.

The witch’s marks didn’t just take the form of freckles, but any warts, moles, extra nipples, or scars could raise suspicions of witchcraft.

Spring Makes Freckles Vanish

More recently, folklore in the American South has made some interesting connections between freckles and the springtime. Still considered a less than desirable marking, freckles could be erased by washing with springtime’s first dew—or so the story goes.

It’s recorded that Illinois’ freckled superstition was more specific. A freckled person had to wash their face with dew on the first day of May, then walk backward into the house to disappear their freckles.

The Irish Were Gifted Freckles By the Gods

Finally! Leave it to the Gaels to promote some freckle positivity. In Gaelic legend, the gods dispersed people around the globe and gave them different languages. But the immortal beings soon became concerned about the Gael’s ability to see the night sky.

The island of the Gaels was misty, and would cloud the views of constellations and the night sky. One of the gods told the Gael people that he would draw a constellation map on their faces and bodies, so that they would never forget what the heavens looked like.

These dots were called “bricini,” the Gaelic word for stars.

Do you know of your own legends, folklores, and superstitions around freckles? Write me at freckledtheblog@gmail.com or comment below. I’d love to hear it!

Freckles Are Globally Scattered

May 24, 2019May 27, 2019 by madelynsmark ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Many think that freckles go hand in hand with pale skin and red hair. And even though Scotland has the highest density of people with the melanocortin-1 receptor (MC1R) mutation in one place—at 30 to 35 percent of the population—redheads, freckles, and the MC1R gene are found in different races of people around the world.

Freckles Around the World

Freckles dot faces of different races around the globe.

Lydia Mack, a woman of Thai descent who grew up in Washington, D.C., recalls how the freckles that spanned generations of women in her family were treated as blemishes and flaws. As Mack grew into womanhood, she’s had to learns to think of herself – as unique rather than damaged.

Michelle Marshall has made it an artistic mission to expose the less-thought-of freckled people. In her stunning portrait photography she features people of Afro-Caribbean descent, and their beautiful combinations of red hair and freckles.

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There’s also Mari Maria, a professional make up artist, YouTuber, and business owner from Brazil. Maria’s self consciousness of her freckles inspired her to start her professional journey. “When I was a little girl, I did not like my freckles and I suffered a lot with my image … that’s where it all began; my passion for the universe of make up,” she writes on her website.

Today, Maria has the acceptance and confidence to embrace her freckles, and the make up skills to make them disappear if she’s in the mood for a different look. Follow her on Instagram @marimariamakeup

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How Are Freckles Globally Dispersed?

Well, there’s a reason that a concentration of pale people who don’t need as much vitamin D and don’t agree with the sun end up in pockets of Europe, where the weather can get cloudy for long periods of time. However, there are naturally freckled people in sunnier parts of the world too, and it all comes down to genetics.

As long as two parents with the recessive MC1R mutation have a child, there’s a chance that child will have freckles—even if the parents have a completely different skin type.

Wherever in the world freckles pop up, they should be cared for and celebrated for the unique scatterings they are.

Freckle Super Powers

May 23, 2019May 27, 2019 by madelynsmark ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Throughout history, freckles have been marveled at, feared, and mocked. Back in medieval times, freckles were even considered “witches’ marks.” While there’s no proof that freckles are magical, there are studies revealing that freckles come with some biological strengths not found in other skin types.

Hey, if we have to bear the burden of a lifetime of sunburns and teasing, it’s only fair that our freckles come with a few super powers.

Freckled People Age Better, According to Science

Well, most likely. A study conducted at Erasmus University found that people with the MC1R gene variation (which is responsible for freckles and also red hair) had a perceived age around two years younger than their biological age.

It’s not all about vanity though, the reasoning behind this perceived youthfulness is because the MC1R gene variation also impacts biological processes like DNA repair. Long live you freckled people!

Freckles Make Our Skin More Resilient to Pain

Thanks to the MC1R gene mutation found in freckled people, we perceive pain and stimulus differently. The Melanocortin-1 receptor does far more than determine if we’ll tan or have freckles. It’s located in the part of the brain the interprets feelings of pain and discomfort.

When Jeffrey Mogil, a McGill University behavioral neuroscientist, conducted a study in pain perception, his team found that redheads/freckle havers needed less Opioids to dull pain than people without the MC1R gene mutation.

Freckles may make us sensitive to the sun’s rays, but overall, most freckled people will have a higher pain tolerance.

Freckled People Don’t Need the Sun (As Much)

Vitamin D is important. It keeps bones growing in children and keeps them strong in adults. And a vitamin D deficiency has been linked to a wide range of issues including depression and certain cancers.

Typically, when sunlight strikes the skin the human body transforms the UVB light into vitamin D3. We can also ingest it through foods like salmon. However, for the freckled who are more sun averse, it might lead one to think that we have a severe vitamin D deficiency. But that’s not the case.

The MC1R gene mutation actually allows for freckled people to make their own vitamin D in low-light conditions, making it possible for our health to thrive without prolonged exposure to the sun. It’s our genetic super power to stay in the shade or covered in sunscreen and still produce just as much vitamin D as our sun bathing friends.

What’s your freckled super power? Comment or write me at freckledtheblog@gmail.com

New Study Shows Sunscreen Seeps Into Your Bloodstream

May 23, 2019May 27, 2019 by madelynsmark ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Say what now?

When my husband sent me an article that explained how topical sunscreen can enter into our bloodstream, I responded, “Yes! Now even my blood is protected from the sun *vampire emoji.* His reply, “That’s … not normal.”

In early May 2019 the Journal of the American Medical Association published a study, funded by the Food and Drug Administration, that revealed that the active ingredients in sunscreen do indeed absorb into the skin and enter the bloodstream.

So What if There’s Sunscreen in My Body?

For the time being, don’t toss out the sunscreen. Skin cancer is still the number one cancer diagnosis in the United States. In fact, more Americans are diagnosed with skin cancer each year than all the other cancers combined. So, continue to protect that skin.

However, the FDA will be looking further into the chemicals that enter the bloodstream. Something that may be nontoxic as a topical treatment could have more harmful effects on the body when absorbed internally. Those that slather on the sunscreen every day could have particularly high levels of these chemicals in their body.

Which Sunscreen Chemicals Are The FDA Studying?

Avobenzone
Oxybenzone
Octocrylene
Ecamsule

Is It Harmful for Sunscreen to Be Absorbed into the Body?

Hopefully not, but the fact is that the FDA and medical doctors just don’t know. At worst, long-term absorption could harmfully impact internal organs. The study has placed a spotlight on how little testing is done on sunscreen chemicals in general.

The FDA is also cracking down on sunscreen companies to submit more data regarding whether their UV-blocking chemicals absorb into the skin beyond the toxicology threshold. If they do, those chemicals could be a carcinogen to the body.

Alternative Sunscreens that Won’t Enter the Bloodstream

As the most avid and enthusiastic sunscreen users, freckled people shouldn’t have to choose between protection from skin cancer and absorbing potentially cancer-causing chemicals in the body. There are some safer sunscreen alternatives out there, while we wait for the FDA to get more definitive answers on chemical sunscreens.

A mineral-based sunscreen is a physical barrier from the sun’s rays –meaning it sits on top of your skin. Because it’s a physical barrier it doesn’t contain all those chemicals that we’re now worried about being absorbed into our bloodstream.

In lieu of those chemicals, mineral sunscreen is made with titanium dioxide and zinc oxide, which reflect UVA and UVB rays aways from the skin. You can find a mineral sunscreen in a lotion or a powder for your sun protection needs.

7 Freckle Faced Characters in Literature

May 22, 2019May 27, 2019 by madelynsmark ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Only 4 to 5 percent of the world’s population have freckles, but you won’t be hardpressed to find a character in a book described as having a few dots. They’re a unique way to distinguish a character, so freckles usually come with strong personalities—ranging from spunky to villainous.

Here are a list of 10 freckled characters immortalized in literature.

1. “Madeline”

By Ludwig Bemelmans

Growing up a redhead named Madelyn (pronounced Ma-duh-lynn), my name was constantly being mispronounced Madeline. But if there’s anyone I don’t mind being mistaken for, it’s this spunky French heroine.

Madeline is the smallest of her 11 peers, but she is not afraid of mice, the tiger in the zoo, or the scar left from her appendix removal. This rhyming tale of childhood bravery is a beloved classic, and has a permanent spot on my book shelf.

2. Eleanor from “Eleanor and Park”

by Rainbow Rowell

Any of Rainbow Rowell’s books are my guilty pleasure when I want to have all the feelings about relationships. But I felt especially connected to the female lead in “Eleanor and Park.” She’s described as having freckles everywhere, even on her lips. And Park notices that her eyelashes are the same color as her spots.

Eleanor is dealing with the trauma of avoiding an abusive and alcoholic stepfather at home, while discovering the intensity of a first love on the bus ride to school. This modern YA romance doesn’t trivialize those early life experiences.

3. Jack in “Lord of the Flies”

by William Golding

Left to their own devices, how long does it take a group of young boys to shed their innocence? What does this say about the illusion of civility? Anyone who has read “Lord of the Flies” knows the answers are pretty bleak.

And leading the charge into savagery and the darker side of humanity is one freckle faced boy—Jack. Jack is described as having a crumpled faced, and his ugliness matches his morality. He has a penchant for violence and egomania.

4. “Anne of Green Gables”

by L. M. Montgomery

“Anne of Green Gables” was first published in 1908, and the spirited, freckled, and quick to anger Anne has become a household name in the world of classic literature.

Anne is prone to getting in trouble, but in her defense, she will “never make the same mistake twice.” Anne’s spritely attitude and dream of making Green Gables her home has endeared her to readers for over a century.

5. Rhea from “A Visit From the Goon Squad”

by Jennifer Egan

A character’s freckles are so often depicted as a physical manifestation of their spirited confidence that it was refreshing to read a more self conscious attitude toward freckles. This more reserved attitude comes from punk rocker Rhea in “A Visit from the Goon Squad.”

Rhea spends a lot of time contemplating how her freckles affect her identity. No other punk rockers have freckles, and she believes that no one is attracted to her solely because of her freckles. A lot of her punk identity and clothing is constructed for the specific reason of drawing attention away from her freckles.

6. Chet Morton from “The Hardy Boys”

by Franklin W. Dixon

“The Hardy Boys” series by Franklin W. Dixon may be named after the brothers Frank and Joe Hardy, but their friend Chet Morton is crucial to the amateur sleuth team.

Chet is described throughout the series as portly, with red or blonde hair, and freckles. He has an odd set of hobbies and skills, like scrimshaw or plant biology, that usually ties into solving the mystery.

7. Ron Weasley from the “Harry Potter” Series

By J.K. Rowling

Ron may be one of many redheads from the Weasley clan, but this freckle faced wizard befriends Harry Potter in book one of the series, “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone,” by J.K. Rowling. He is described as a gangly person with freckles.

Ron may not have the same innate wizarding ability as Harry, and less book smarts than Hermione, but he is an earnest and kind best friend who helps save Harry out of several life-ending pinches throughout the series.

How Does SPF Work?

May 5, 2019May 27, 2019 by madelynsmark ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Ever wonder how a cream can magically shield from the sun’s invisible rays? Here’s how our spiffy SPF protects our freckled skin.

Who Was the First to Use SPF?

In the loosest sense of sun protection, SPF use goes back to ancient times. The Egyptians, ancient Greeks, and some Native American tribes used local ingredients to protect from the sun, repair sun damage, and sometimes to lighten skin for cosmetic reasons.

One of the pioneers of sunscreen development was chemist Franz Greiter. His sunscreen was commercially marketed in 1938 and popular among mountain climbers and hikers. Greiter also introduced the SPF concept to the world in the 60s.

What Does That SPF Number Mean?

Every bottle of sunscreen has a little number associated with it, I’ve seen it range from 10 to 150. For longer than I’d like to admit, I thought that number meant how many minutes I could stay outside without worrying about getting sunburned. WRONG. I have all the sunburns to prove it.

I was wrong, but the SPF number does relate to time and sun rays. According to Steven Wang, MD., An SPF of 30 will block about 97 percent of UVB rays, whereas SPF 50 will block about 98 percent. He also states, “Ideally, with SPF 30 it would take you 30 times longer to burn than if you weren’t wearing sunscreen.”

How Is the SPF Number Determined?

For every bottle of sunscreen you buy, there’s a burned butt somewhere in the world. Just kidding. Kind of.

In order to protect your skin, someone had to expose a very vulnerable part of their body to some ultraviolet rays.

Sunscreen is tested and created in a lab, where a volunteer exposes a part of their body that the sun doesn’t shine on—typically their butt.

It’s a simple observational experiment. Scientists test how long it takes for the patch of skin to redden after being slathered in sunscreen, then test again for how long it takes that patch to redden with no sunscreen applied. The final step is to divide the number of seconds it took the sunscreened butt to burn by the number of seconds it took the no sunscreen butt to burn. Voilà – SPF.

What’s My Ideal SPF Number?

It’s tempting to buy the highest SPF number out there, slather it on, and go about your business in the sunshine. But this can be one of the worst mistakes sunscreen wearers make. When too much confidence is placed in that high SPF number, people forget to reapply. And keep in mind, these sunscreens are made in a controlled lab setting, while in reality the sun’s intensity varies, like if you’re near the Equator, at the top of a mountain, or in reflective waters.

The Environmental Working Grou p shed light on several reasons why higher SPFs may not be worth the extra cost and confidence. For example, in an experiment conducted by Procter and Gamble, the same brand of 100 SPF sunscreen was sent to five different labs for testing. The SPF results from the labs came back in a range of SPF 37 to SPF 75.

The point is, don’t put all your trust in that SPF number, and reapply as often as possible if you’re out in the sun for long periods of time.

Sunscreen isn’t perfect, but it’s a huge help to a freckled persons health. Slather on (repeatedly) and enjoy not being sunburned!

Feckless Freckles—How Our Freckles Can Cause Harm

May 3, 2019May 5, 2019 by madelynsmark ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

This blog is meant to create an environment of understanding and acceptance of freckles. They’re cute, quirky, and unique—and we celebrate that! But an important part of freckle empowerment is reckoning with the harm that freckled people are more at-risk for.

It’s important to start by saying freckles are not something to be “treated.” They’re your genetics and part of living in a world that depends on sunshine.

Freckles themselves are normal, but they can make it more likely for us to develop abnormal skin conditions. Here are a few things to look out for.

Freckles in Places Not Exposed to the Sun

If you find freckles in places that never see the light of day, like your armpits, groin, or stomach even though you’ve never worn a crop top, then it’s something noteworthy enough to bring up to your dermatologist.

Neurofibromatosis (NF1) is a genetic skin condition with freckles and skin growths as symptoms. While called freckles, these aren’t the type of freckles caused by the MC1R gene. The NF1 freckles can appear at birth, and MC1R freckles can’t, because they require a certain amount of sun exposure to appear.

The NF1 neurofibromas tumors that appear beneath the skin and within the body are generally noncancerous.

Skin Cancers

According to the World Health Organization, when it comes to developing skin cancer, “people with pale or freckled skin, fair or red hair and blue eyes belong to the highest risk group.”

It’s alarming to me that I check all those boxes, but it’s also one of the reasons this blog focuses so heavy on sunscreen slathering every day.

The reason freckles are an indicator (not a cause) that a person might be more susceptible to skin cancer is because freckles are a tell tale sign of low amounts of melanin in the body. Melanin is the skin’s shield from the sun’s harmful ultraviolet rays, and our shields are spotted and filled with holes.

If you notice that a freckle has become raised, itches, or an entire patch of skin has darkened, these are all reasons to make an appointment with your dermatologist.

Did I mention SUNSCREEN?

Hutchinson’s Freckle

Hutchinson’s Freckle is a special kind of dot that is also different from the freckles we inherit in our genes and earn in the sun. This freckle typically develops on people age 40 and over who have had a lot of intensely sunny days in their lives.

It’s usually found on the face or hands, and in the beginning is nothing more than a superficial cancer. However, if you’re concerned that you may have developed a Hutchinson’s Freckle, it’s important to talk to your doctor about a skin biopsy. Left alone, a Hutchinson’s Freckle has the ability to transform into aggressive malignant melanoma.

Reckoning With Your Freckles

When it comes down to it, all the potential harm our freckles can cause is due to having sensitive skin. Luckily, it’s in our control to mitigate these risks by strengthening our skin’s barrier with sunscreen. Also, put a hat on, some shades, and cover your most sensitive areas (shoulders and upper chest for me) with clothing. Then show off your spots in the moonlight.