Can freckles be cancerous

[catherine]

Recently i have developed freckles on my face, i know they are harmless but one freckle is quite different from the other. Its around 3-4 mm in diameter. Its little darker than the rest. I did researched well but i still have mixed feeling about skin cancer. I'm worried, can freckles be cancerous?

[Dr.Deepak]

Freckles alone are totally harmless but having freckles means you should be more careful in the sunlight. More sunlight equal more freckles. More freckles doesn't necessary mean you have skin cancer but there is possibility of the cancerous mole to be hidden within the freckles. There is no sure way of confirming that it is skin cancer but there are few clinical signs that can help suspect for skin cancer.

Being said that risk of skin cancer increases in people with Fitzpatrick skin type 1 (red hair,blue eyes,pale white skin). Your lesion could be harmless solar lentigo. This doesn't indicate any cancerous risk but does give a clue of over exposure to sun. You know, excessive exposure to UV radiation increases the risk of skin cancer.

Get a derm consultation and make sure its harmless and get it removed if its cosmetically acceptable, this is only the sure way of being safe.