Chinese scientists have found that freckles, a nuisance for many people, are caused by certain genetic variations.

Recent sampling tests and analysis show that accidental genetic changes in chromosome No. 4 caused freckles in several generations of a Chinese family, says Prof. Zhang Xuejun, a skin disease specialist with the Anhui Medical Sciences University in the eastern Anhui Province.

Prof. Zhang and his colleagues used state-of-the-art genome scanning technologies to analyze the samples before they came to the conclusion.

"We have to rely on genetic technologies to remove freckles, because present freckle removal solutions with laser technologies or medicine will not have long-lasting effects," said Prof. Zhang.

He said they were among the first in the world to localize the freckle gene, and the finding marked a milestone in China's research on skin diseases caused by abnormal pigmentation.

The finding had been summarized into a thesis, which was published recently in a leading international dermatology magazine, said Prof. Zhang.

Source: Xinhua