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Can Black People Have Freckles? Causes and Pictures

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Can black people have freckles? What causes freckles on black people? For more information on these and the relationship between black people with red hair and freckles, black girls with freckles and black freckles on skin read the whole article.

During my research on what causes freckles I realized that most writers seem to purport that it is a Caucasian people skin condition. It therefore left me wondering can black people have freckles. I decided to find out even though I have had freckles yet am African black.

Having basis for my opinion that freckles can appear on everyone in spite of race and skin color is better than just assuming. The interesting thing about black people skin has over 100 skin tones. They can however, be classified in type I to V. This is according to how they appear to other people and their reaction to being exposed to the sun.

Black people have the same color pigment known as melanin found in Caucasians. The melanin is produced by melanocytes, the pigment cells. This same pigment also affects the way some black people have red hair. Have you ever seen a black person with red hair?

There are several with red hair and just like Caucasians, they are the lot with freckles. I will mention a few people you may know in this article. Let us now delve in to what causes freckles in black people, black people with red hair and freckles, and the meaning of black freckles on skin.

Can Black People Have Freckles?

Do black people have freckles? Freckles on black people do occur. It all has to do with the type of skin tone. As I mentioned earlier there over 100

Black man with freckles
Black people can have freckles

skin tones, black people come in varieties. As a result, depending on the skin tone type they can get freckles when they expose themselves to UV radiation, which has to come from spending so much time under the sun.

The skin tone types are from I to V and the first type is the one that is most prone to tanning and freckles. The same case applies to type II, III, and IV. These skin types tend to be fairer than the type V. skin tone V is the darkest and can be found in black people from Africa, even mixed Africans have it. Fortunately, for very black people their skin does not get sunburn.

Can black people have freckles? Those of the skin tone type of I to IV can get freckles when exposed to sunburn. These people tend to have the MC1R genes that lead to melanin clustering on some parts of the skin especially on the face and shoulders. On top of that, by being under the sun for long hours without protection they get freckles. The same gene that causes freckles in Caucasians is the same in black people. Freckles in the eyes of black people are also common in those who have fair skin because they tend to have bright brown eyes.

What Causes Freckles on Black People? Pigmentation                 

It has also been noted that the cause of freckles on black people is both genetics and exposure to UV radiation. Black people normally have high melanin pigment that gives them their even dark skin color. What causes freckles on black people is low melanin as well.

The melanocytes, which are clustered, fail to produce enough color pigment. Hence, the freckles appear on skin. On the other hand, too much melanin can also cause freckles especially of the dark variety. What causes freckles is both a case of under-pigmentation and hyper-pigmentation.

Pictures of Black People with Freckles

You probably expect to have the lightest skin tone of black people to have freckles. However, this is never the case, on this page, the pictures of black people with freckles show very fair women and men and very dark as well. For darker people, it may take years before the freckles show, when the person has exposed the skin to the sun for many years.

Morgan Freeman - dark skinned man with freckles
Morgan Freeman – dark skinned man with freckles
Lindsay Lohan's freckles while still a baby
Lohan while still a baby had frackles

Black People with Red Hair and Freckles

Caucasians with red hair tend to have for example Lindsay Lohan has Freckles. She was a red head as a little girl and with many freckles on her face chest and back. Some black people who have freckles also happen to have the rare red hair. When this is the case, they automatically tend to freckle.

Studies indicate that the same genes that are responsible for freckles also give red hair. Therefore, someone who has the MC1R variant genes will get either freckles, red hair or both. A melanin type known as pheomelanin makes the red hair while eumelanin makes hair brown.

Black people with both brown and red hair have freckles. So what is the link between black people with red hair and freckles? The melanin is responsible for both the color of the hair and freckles. In fact, black red heads are described to have partial albinism because the low melanin in their hair gives it the red color.

Black Girls with Freckles – Other Causes

The cause of black women with freckles may not always be genetic or from exposure to sunlight. They may also get freckles due to age. In this case, they are known as age spots. Besides that there are other causes of freckles in black girls.

Black Girls with Freckles

Black Girls with Freckles
Black Girls with Freckles

 

Black Girls with Freckles

Black girls with freckles may also be under drugs or medication that is causing the black spots to appear. A good example is by taking certain medications such as estrogens, tetracyclines, phenonthiazines, sulfonamides, phenytoin and amiodarone. So when you see a black girl with freckles they are not necessarily from sun damage. Medications also play a major role.

Another thing is pregnancy, which causes hormonal changes in black women with freckles. This can either before or after the pregnancy. These kinds of freckles often disappear with time. Sometimes the use of bio oil, Black Jamaican Castor oil and emu oil is all what is needed to clear them after sometime.

The other cause in black girls with freckles could be certain illnesses in the body such as Addisons disease, Liver disease, pituitary tumors, colon cancer especially if the freckles are on the lips and just appeared suddenly.

Black Freckles on Skin

Sometimes the freckles may appear suddenly and in an odd black color. Since not all freckles are caused by genetics and sun damage, it is important to report any new freckles to a skin specialist for proper analysis. Even though the cancerous freckles are rare, it is better to be safe than sorry.

When you have black freckles on skin, they could signify a type of cancer developing in your body. However, this will depend on whether they keep changing in shape, size and color. Furthermore, if the black freckles itch or causes you some kind of pain, you should have it checked to rule out cancer.

Black freckles could mean any of the following cancers:

  • Melanoma
  • Basal cell carcinoma
  • Acitinic keratosis
  • Squamous cell carcinoma

Further suggested reading

Posted Comments [14]

  1. I really want to have freckles but not one of my ancestors do and I don’t have any Irish ancestors
    Is there anyway to get freckles naturally in my case😣

    Reply
    • Being exposed to sunlight might be the best option to get freckles naturally. I didn’t have freckles until I joined the marching band my freshman year of high school. I had maybe one by the end of my freshman year but my sophomore year I got another one after a long hard Saturday practice in direct sunlight for over seven hours. However, I have close family who have freckles but I have never had freckles before until I actually spent time outside.

      Reply
  2. Freckles and red hair are a Caucasian trait. Scottish /irish in origin. People have been mixing for a long time now. Both Willingly and unwillingly. It all goes back to tribal warefare and slavery. Europeans and Africans have gone back and forth pillaging each others villages 100s of yrs. Due to these circumstances black people are not proud to pass this information to the next generation. Theyre often unaware that they have European ancestry.

    Reply
    • Sometimes I tink we sigarponeans are quite pathetic, coz only time we can really speak up is online. If we can speak up like this in public, gahmen will surely come knockin at our door!!

      Reply
  3. I am not sure how young I was when my freckles showed up, (maybe between 4-6 yrs.). I remember my maternal grandmother had a face full of freckles. It skipped her children, but the grandkids got them. I am the only child from my family that inherited the lovely little spots, but quite a few of my cousins got them as well.

    Reply
  4. You left out th fact that most of the time if you see a “black” person with freckles it is because they are part white, or half white like some of the people in these pictures. Every person like this that you see in America is mixed with black and Irish, and the freckle gene is dominant.

    Reply
    • ERM no you’re wrong. My mother is black, has freckles and is in no way shape or form white. My grandfather has freckles therefore my mother, and most uncles have freckles. I am also in no form white and also have freckles.
      Having freckles does not mean you are partially white.

      Reply
  5. I am a black girl and I have had freckles(so has my mom) on my back were my back dimples are, slightly on my inner left leg, and on my nose my whole life. My entire head is not red but some individual hairs are golden blonde and red. at least two known great grandfathers are Irish (known for red hair and freckles). A black person can have freckles regardless of skin tone or complection anywhere from basically white to dark chocolate the same way we all get birth and beauty marks because it is a dominant gene. I do not have cancer, hormonal instability, disease, or sun damage. Freckles commonly come from genetics in terms of people of color, not illness.

    Reply
  6. I am a black girl and I have had freckles(so has my mom) on my back were my back dimples are, slightly on my inner left leg, and on my nose my whole life. My entire head is not red but some individual hairs are golden blonde and red. at least two known great grandfathers are Irish (known for red hair and freckles). A black person can have freckles regardless of skin tone or complection anywhere from basically white to dark chocolate the same way we all get birth and beauty marks because it is a dominant gene. I do not have cancer, hormonal instability, disease, or sun damage. Most freckles come from genetics in terms of people of color!

    Reply

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