I recalled an
incident about 7 years ago, when I was still serving in the OPD of Hospital
Pulau Pinang. A distressed patient came seeking help regarding pigmentations on
her face.
“It’s just
freckles!” I told her.
“This will
not harm you.” What I meant was that the
condition was not a disease that will risk her life.
“But it
affects me!! People are always staring at them when they are talking to me,”
answered the patient.
Yes, the
thing that bothered her was not an issue or was it important to me. However,
the question still remained - how to help her resolve her problems?
I referred
her to the dermatology clinic and did not hear from her since then.
So, what
are freckles?
Freckles can
develop as a result of a combination of genetics and sun exposure. These
exposures will then cause an uneven
distribution of melanin in the skin. It is essentially nothing more than an
unusually heavy deposit of melanin in one area of the skin.
Common freckles
hot spots: Sun exposed areas such as the face, hands, chest and back. They are
usually uniform in color, some may appear to be reddish, yellow, tan, light
brown, brown, or black, but they are basically slightly darker than the
surrounding skin.
by
Anna Hoo
