# Where do freckles come from?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-freckles-come-from/113912>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [June 13, 2002, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-freckles-come-from/113912 "2002-06-13T19:38:34Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![dreamer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/6bbea6/32.png) [@dreamer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dreamer)\
**Post date:** [June 13, 2002, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-freckles-come-from/113912/1 "2002-06-13T19:38:34Z")

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Why do some people have them and some people don’t? I didn’t have them when I was younger and now I have lots of them. Mainly on my arms, neck, chest, and face. Could it be from a lot of sun exposure? Will they continue to magically appear? Oh the joys of aging…:rolleyes:

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**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\
**Post date:** [June 13, 2002, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-freckles-come-from/113912/2 "2002-06-13T20:09:29Z")

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According to my copy of _The National Encyclopedia of Business and Social Forms, Embracing the Laws of Etiquette and Good Society_ (1888) by James McCabe, freckles are caused by too much iron in the blood. When the iron in the blood meets moisture in the atmosphere, it causes a rust spot at the juncture.

Hey, I’m not makin’ this up, it’s what Jim McCabe said back in '88 . . .