×

FYI – FRECKLES

fyi freckles

Freckles, to some – A super cute feature that compliments your face and makes you stand out from the crowd. To others, a serious hurdle to cross in the desperate search for flawless skin.

Love them or loath them, chances are that they are with you for the long haul. As someone who is personally covered in quite a few freckles, I am still indecisive about how i feel about them and whether or not I would like to pursuit getting them removed.

That being said I have put together a little FYI freckles hand book, yes you can thank me later. What are they? Where do they come from? Why? How do I get rid of them? How do I enhance them? Whatever you need to know about good old freckles I’ve got the goods, so enjoy!

What Causes freckles?

Well we all have pigment producing cells in our skin called melanocytes. Melanocytes produce a pigment called melanin and this is passed on by your body to our keratinocytes (normal skin cells), this process creates a protective layer on our skin.

This life saving barrier, like many other protective mechanisms in your body aims to protect from harsh conditions and off course sun damage – this is somewhat like the ozone layer that protects the earth’s atmosphere. Freckles are a direct sign of sun damage to our melanocytes and simply an abnormal collection of melanin pigment in the epidermis.

How do I prevent freckles, prevent more freckles or stop them from darkening?

There is a very simple answer to this. STAY OUT OF THE SUN! There is a reason there is so much fuss and education around being sun smart. The sun is one of the worse agers on the skin and it is also the primary cause for freckles and dark spots. Remember that even in winter the sun is still extremely power full and over time will not only give you freckles but will lead to more severe skin problems.

These problems can include such things as; skin cancers like melanoma and carcinoma can also be attributed to the sun and it is important to remember that cases of this are more prevalent in those who already have freckles. Ensure to include a spf 30+ sun block in your daily skin care routine! Celebs and experts are consistently praising the benefits of using sunscreen on their face and neck in the fight against aging. Pack a hat and sunglasses in your bad and be sure to pop them on whenever you step out.

What make up should I use to cover my freckles?

Well this all depends on you! Freckles are naturally beautiful and so you may not want to completely cover them at other times you may want them completely removed.

If your are after full coverage , there are some amazing products on the market right now for covering your freckles, Invest in a good quality concealer – something that is highly pigmented and actually matches the colour of your skin. If it doesn’t match your skin tone you will find that it can create unsightly discolouration – this is most important in fair people as sometimes the concealer can appear red/ orange and create more blemishes on the skin.

Pair this with a full coverage foundation and this should do the trick, if you want even more coverage finish with a heavy powder. If you are going for a more natural look, a mineral based foundation would be able to better accentuate your features, the makeup will reduce redness and lighten dark spots whilst still showing off your amazing freckles.

How can I permanently reduce my freckles?

Whilst no treatment will promise you 100% removal there are certainly other methods or treatments that will severely reduce the size and colour of your freckles allowing you a brighter, even skin tone and reduced dark spots.

One treatment that you can start with right away is HYPER WHITE by freezeframe. HYPER WHITE is a great treatment for both immediate and long term results. HYPER WHITE is clinically proven and contains 3 anti– darkness ingredients that reduce melanin production and skin darkening molecules by up to 70% in just weeks.

Papaya Enzymes in the formula work to peel away dead, dark and pigmented skin cells. This treatment is fantastic for people who are looking to lighten their skin tone and as an ongoing treatment that gives real results. If you are looking for something with more dramatic instant results- you may want to give flashwhite a go. This product by freezeframe is a 5 second whitening and radiance gel with concentrated brightening beads. It creates a white filter effect for instantly more radiant, unified.

Laser treatment:

You will need between 4-8 sessions of laser to see the true effects, these sessions can cost anywhere between $100 – $300 each and whilst it is an expensive and time consuming this option it can produce some pretty amazing results for those who intensely desire freckle free skin.

At the moment Laser is taking over the world, it can be used for so many different purposes and it has the ability to seriously impact your freckles and give you the results you want. It can be used to burn the blood vessels just underneath the freckles, reducing their appearance or removing them entirely depending on which laser is used. The procedure is not known to have any long-term damaging effects, but it may cause temporary bruising, redness and swelling and you will need to be very cautious to stay out of the sun post treatment.

Don’t have freckles, but want to get in on the action?

For some bizarre reason, the world has gone koo-koo for freckles. In recent times there have been more and more beauty personalities and beauty bloggers that have filmed tutorials purposely drawing freckles on their face using make up.

As I have mentioned freckles really do add another dimension to your face so it’s no surprise that people are starting to experiment in order to achieve a look that normally wouldn’t be possible without the power of makeup.

There are plenty of videos on youtube at the moment but the one below is my particular favourite, check it out and I hope you have enjoyed your freducation xo.

Natalie