Ephelides, more commonly known as freckles, are clumps of melanine containing cells which are more commonly seen on individuals with fair skin. The stereotypical freckle-faced person is red-headed, with fair skin and blue or green eyes. Freckles can be cute, and sometimes they can even look sexy.

Some people celebrate freckles so much that they make sure to keep them visible, while others are annoyed by them and want to get rid of them. My mother held the opinion that freckles were ugly, and went so far as to refer to my freckles as “fly shit”. You can imagine how hearing such terminology made me feel as a child, especially when my classmates were told that their freckles were “angel’s kisses”. Why were my freckles compared to insect excrement? Thankfully, I got over my horror of having fly doo-doo on my face, and I make no effort to hid them, though they have faded over the years as a result of my avoidance of the sun.

Though I don’t fight what nature gave me, I know many people who can’t stand their freckles, and who undergo chemical peels and light-based treatments to rid themselves of the stubborn brown speckling. So when I heard that there was a recent trend in which women were creating freckles with makeup, I was pretty astonished.

Check out this YouTube video from Mykie of Glam & Gore, in which she demonstrates how to create a freckled look:

As a physician who has worked in cosmetic dermatology, I have been keenly interested in any technology or topical agent which can deliver the spot-lightening results which people around the world seek. So I just cannot understand why anyone would be interested in such a bizarre makeup trend.