The joys of summer skin: a subtle tan, a glowing complexion and those all-important sun-kissed freckles.
Freckles are having a moment in the sun, with women who once desperately tried to cover theirs in makeup — or have them blown off — embracing their natural pigmentation.
Famous freckled faces include Meghan Markle, who made sure her wedding makeup didn’t hide her “favorite feature.” She also says she hates when they are removed in photos, telling a magazine, “My pet annoys me when my skin tone changes and my freckles are airbrushed away.”
Kylie Jenner and Lindsay Lohan also reveal theirs.
Thalia Khadi’s inspiration for getting freckles tattooed on her face four months ago was her mother. Thalia is a mixed breed and has some natural freckles but wanted more
Some have gone even further and have relied on artificial freckles, which beauty experts claim can impart a fresh, youthful appearance.
And most radical of all, others – like those pictured above – are spending hundreds to get semi-permanent freckles tattooed on their faces.
It’s a dramatic change from the days when freckles were considered a blemish and often the focus of ridicule on the playground.
Take the redhead Paula Jones. Although she has natural freckles, she misses them when they fade in winter, so she’s had tattoos on her nose and cheeks year-round.
“Growing up with red hair and freckles I had to endure a bit of bullying, but as I got older I embraced both, especially my freckles,” says Paula, 33, who works in hospitality and lives in Manchester with her two children aged 11 and two years.
“But they’re only visible for a few months a year, then they fade and I feel a lot less confident.”
Perri Allington-Green, 28, is an independent hairstylist with a beautiful hint of freckles on her face. But they’re not hers – she got them tattooed a year ago
Paula has had her light eyebrows tattooed with semi-permanent make-up since she was 21. So she figured someone had to offer freckle tattoos after all.
She insists she wasn’t worried about the risks involved in tattooing the delicate skin of her face.
“If I didn’t like them, the worst case scenario would be that they would fade after a year or two,” she says.
Luckily, she admired the result and wouldn’t be without it.
“The doctor I go to also does nipple tattoos for breast cancer patients who have had reconstructive surgery. She is very experienced and understands that skin is never just a nuance.
“At my consultation, she got an eyebrow pencil and made dots where I asked about freckles. She then used three different colors to tattoo around 40 for a natural look. When fresh they were very obvious and a bit stained, but she had warned me that would be the case initially, so I was prepared. Now they’re completely settled, people assume they’re natural.
The treatment costs around £150 depending on the doctor and Paula reports that the tattoo needle feels like ‘pin pricks’.
“I get so many compliments,” she adds. “I don’t really wear makeup, just mascara and my gorgeous freckles. I’ll definitely have them refilled as they fade.’ Normally that would be after a year, but after 18 months Paula is fine. But what exactly are freckles? They are caused by an overproduction of melanin, the pigment in our skin. There are two different types.
The more common is the ephelide – a flat, tan marking that tends to fluctuate with the seasons. Then there are lentigines, also known as liver or age spots, where the skin contains more melanin-producing cells and doesn’t usually change with sunlight.
Practitioner Kseniia Vasileva has noticed an increasing demand for freckle tattoos at her private clinic in Gerrards Cross, Buckinghamshire.
“Freckles are trending, natural or not,” says Kseniia, who has a degree in fine arts and qualified as a semi-permanent makeup artist after the birth of her second child.
“Some customers already have them and want more, others don’t have them but love the look or want to hide skin pigmentation. Shoulders, cleavage, eyelids, cheeks and lips are popular areas.”
Of course, tattooing anything on the face involves risks. Anyone can promote semi-permanent makeup application, so it’s important that you check a doctor’s qualifications first.
Kseniia’s customers fill out a health questionnaire and, in case of an allergic reaction, do a patch test of the dye she uses. Like other semi-permanent makeup, freckle tattoos are not suitable for women with eczema, diabetes, cancer or pregnant women.
Redhead: Paula Jones enhanced her natural freckles. She says she misses her freckles in winter
“Where freckles are placed and how many you have tattooed can make the difference between a natural look and a fake one,” she says. “I also don’t recommend them for people with oily skin as they don’t go down well.” Perri Allington-Green, 28, is an independent hairstylist with a beautiful hint of freckles on her face. But they’re not hers – she got them tattooed a year ago.
“I don’t wear a lot of makeup, just mascara, and I get my brows professionally trimmed, but I loved the idea that freckles could make me look healthier,” says Perri, who lives in Manchester.
Perri started drawing freckles in kohl for a year – and loved them so much she decided to pay for a £150 semi-permanent sprinkle last spring.
“They didn’t take very well the first time, so I had a refill six weeks later and they’ve held up great,” adds Perri. “The practitioner put a numbing cream on my skin but it still felt a bit sore.
“I asked for random placement so they look natural including on my nose, under my eyes and a few on my forehead and cheeks.
“The therapist drew them first to show where they would go. She had warned me that it might look like I saw her in the mirror for the first time after the procedure, and I thought, “Oh my god, are they going to stay like this?”
Freckles are having a moment in the sun as women embrace the pigmentation. The latest trend is to have freckles tattooed permanently on the skin
“But after a week they had calmed down. They have given me a massive confidence boost and I look healthier all year round.”
Thalia Khadi’s inspiration for getting freckles tattooed on her face four months ago was her mother. Like Meghan, Thalia is mixed race and has a few natural freckles but wanted more.
“I’ve never seen anyone with tan skin like mine and freckles before, so I covered them up with makeup when I was younger,” says Thalia, 22, who studies English literature at King’s College London.
“But slowly my relationship with my freckles changed. One reason is that my mother, who has a lot of freckles, is white and people often don’t realize that we are mother and daughter.
“I realized that my freckles are actually very special. I started loving them when they appeared in the summer and missed them when they disappeared in the winter.”
Thalia went to Kseniia’s clinic last January and got ten freckles tattooed on her face. Completely sold, she returned a month later for 20 more. Each of the sessions lasted one hour. The total cost was £250.
“When I told Mum about my plan, she was horrified,” Thalia continues. “But she loves the results – and I finally look more like her.
“I didn’t have to put on makeup in the winter either because the freckles give me such a fresh look.
“It’s so nice to feel summery all year round. I will definitely have them refilled in a year.”