Q: I have freckles on my face (my age is 22), so yesterday I went to see a skin doctor. He said he can remove the freckles by using the laser treatment. I want to know if I should go for this laser treatment? Earlier I went to a different skin doctor who said that freckles cannot be removed but can be lightened and was against laser therapy. I am really confused now and scared about the side effects. One of my friends told me that laser treatment may cause freckles to get darker than before, is this true? If I go for laser treatment can the freckles be removed permanently? Why did the doctor give me a bleaching cream to apply on the freckles area for 30 days? Will the bleaching cream spoil my face? The doctor also says that I require 2-3 sessions only.

A:Freckles result from the effect of ultraviolet rays on the skin which is inherently susceptible. In the freckle spot, the pigment producing cell has become more active (because of action of light). When exposure to light is reduced, they get lighter. They will also become lighter with the use of some creams. On the other hand, one can destroy the pigment cells (in freckle spot) by laser or by peeling etc. However, one can not remove the inherent tendency to produce freckles. Therefore, recurrence of freckles after any treatment method is a distinct possibility.