Freckles and sebaceous filaments can both look like brown or dark spots on your skin, but they have very different causes and characteristics.
Your skin can develop a variety of lumps, bumps, and marks. Some marks, like suspicious moles, can be a warning sign of a more serious medical condition, while other marks are harmless and develop naturally over time.
Freckles and sebaceous filaments are types of harmless spots on your skin. They’re very different, even though they may look the same at first glance.
Freckles, also called “ephelides,” are brown, tan, or reddish marks on your skin. They’re usually flat and small, though they may look larger if they overlap.
Freckles develop when cells of your skin produce a pigment called melanin. Melanocytes make melanin, and their
Genetics and sun exposure impact why some people have freckles and others don’t, or why some people have freckles that stay visible year-round, regardless of UV stimulation.
If you have certain variants of the MC1R gene, you’re more likely to develop freckles. These genetic variants make it so your body overproduces melanin in clusters, rather than evenly, like a tan.
Freckles tend to get darker with sun exposure, but they may fade significantly if you aren’t outside often. For other people, freckles are present all the time.
They can appear suddenly, or freckles can be present from childhood as a type of “memory” response to your sun exposure throughout your lifetime.
Sebaceous filaments are a natural feature of your skin. They’re hair-like tubes that sit within the sebaceous glands of your pores to help guide sebum to the surface of your skin.
Sebum is an oily, waxy substance that helps maintain your skin’s moisture barrier. Because it contains traces of melanin and certain fatty molecules, it reacts with oxygen in the air when it nears the top of your pore in a process called “oxidation.”
Oxidation can make sebum look yellow, brown, or black, like a speck on your face.
Everyone has sebaceous filaments. They’re a natural component of your skin and are not a type of clogged pore (comedone).
Freckles and sebaceous filaments are very different.
While they can both produce harmless specks on your skin, freckles are related to genetics and sun exposure and are caused by the production of melanin. They can vary in size, shape, color, and can overlap. Not everyone develops freckles.
Everyone has sebaceous filaments. They’re a natural structure within your skin pores. In some people, they may look darker as sebum production increases and comes in contact with the air.
Unlike freckles, sebaceous filaments are usually uniform in shape and don’t overlap because they are within your pores.
Sebaceous filaments are not the same as blackheads. Blackheads are a type of comedone or clogged pore.
Comedones can be “open” or “closed”. When they’re closed and the top of the pore is covered over, they develop a milky-color bubble known as a “whitehead.”
Blackheads are open comedones. They develop when a pore becomes clogged with sebum, dead skin cells, and other debris. Because the top of the pore is still open, the clog gets exposed to the air and oxidizes. Like with sebaceous filaments, this causes the color to darken.
Blackheads tend to be very dark or black because the pore isn’t cleaning itself out, and the buildup continues to sit and oxidize in the air. Blackhead pores are usually enlarged.
Squeezing blackheads at home isn’t recommended. It’s possible to cause an infection or scar your skin.
Even though blackheads can be distressing, resist the temptation to scrub. Harsh cleansers or aggressive scrubbing can be irritating and drying, which can make skin oilier and blackheads worse.
For the most effective treatment, your dermatologist
Retinoids are used alongside a skin care routine focused on cleansing, exfoliating, and regulating oil production. Gentle cleansers with benzoyl peroxide or salicylic acid can penetrate pores and help remove clogs.
Your skin care routine might also include chemical exfoliant products containing salicylic acid or glycolic acid.
When blackheads are severe, persistent, or widespread, your dermatologist or an aesthetician can offer professional extraction.
Below are some frequently asked questions about freckles and sebaceous filaments.
Yes, pores can sometimes look like freckles. The oil in pores can change color when exposed to the air and turn brown, greyish, or black.
Sebaceous filaments are a natural part of your skin and shouldn’t be squeezed. They can look dark as sebum increases and is exposed to the air, but they are not a type of clogged pore. They’re just doing their job.
Sebaceous filaments are a natural feature within your pores. They help maintain your skin’s moisture barrier and shouldn’t be plucked.
Freckles and sebaceous filaments can both cause dark specks on your skin, but that’s where the similarities end. Freckles come from genetics and sun exposure and develop from melanin production.
Sebaceous filaments are natural structures within your pores that may darken as the oil they transport comes in contact with the air.
Freckles and sebaceous filaments are usually harmless and don’t require removal. When pores do become clogged with blackheads or whiteheads, your dermatologist can recommend an appropriate skin care routine.