Centro Studi GISED

Lentigines and Freckles

Lentigines are predominantly characterised by a smooth and circular form of only a few millimetres in diameter. They are darkly coloured and are distributed over the whole body. They generally appear during infancy. Over the years they can augment or diminish in numbers. They are not affected by prolonged exposure to the sun’s rays. Freckles gather around the face and upper limbs. They are sensitive to sun exposure and tend, in fact, to darken in summer and fade and become smaller in winter. They are spots of light-brown and have an irregular shape. They are principally located on the face and lower neck.

Hi, my name’s (…) and I’m 35. For several years I have noticed that I am covered with a type of freckle on the trunk of my body, my shoulders and along my arms, on the parts exposed to the sun. Is it normal? In expectation of your kind response, thank you.

Dear (…), the two problems more common that correspond to what you describe are: freckles: dense brownish spots of the skin on your face and upper limbs which appear from a young age and that become accentuated upon exposure to the sun. Sun lentigines: tiny brownish patches of only a few mm in diameter that appear, following intense and repeated exposure to sunlight, on the parts of the skin exposed (in general shoulders, upper limbs and face). Sun lentigines are more common in individuals with pale skin and are a sign that indicates the need for better protection from the sun. Best Regards Dr Luigi Naldi Coordinatore Gruppo Italiano Studi Epidemiologici in Dermatologia (GISED).