# Red heads and freckles

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-heads-and-freckles/128615>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [September 16, 2002, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-heads-and-freckles/128615 "2002-09-16T00:08:58Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Blalron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/35a633/32.png) [@Blalron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blalron)\
**Post date:** [September 16, 2002, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-heads-and-freckles/128615/1 "2002-09-16T00:08:58Z")

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Why is it that a large percentage of red heads seem to also have freckles? Is this just my imagination? What causes this apparent connection?

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**Author:** ![David\_Simmons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9de053/32.png) [@David\_Simmons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/David_Simmons)\
**Post date:** [September 16, 2002, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-heads-and-freckles/128615/2 "2002-09-16T01:01:11Z")

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There is apparently a linkage between red hair and fair skin, especially if you have blue eyes. I had red har and fair skin and lots of freckles. It can be a real trial when you are young and want to be like everyone else. They can mostly get a suntan. You can’t. All that happen is you burn and peel, and get freckles.

I don’t have noticible freckles any more and I can tan a little, but I avoid the sun to the extent that it is possible.

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**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\
**Post date:** [September 16, 2002, 6:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-heads-and-freckles/128615/3 "2002-09-16T06:58:21Z")

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They don’t all, though. I’m a redhead, as are my mother and brother(we all have blue eyes as well). While I have an abundance of them-and I like them for the record- neither of them seems to have any at all. The biggest difference, though, is I like to spend time out doors in shorts and t-shirts and they don’t, so they may well have the potential to get them but haven’t exposed themself to the sun often enough to get them.