Benign acquired melanocytic lesions

Both freckles and lentigo can be described as benign acquired melanocytic lesions. Freckles are areas of skin where melanocytes are seen to be more active than in neighbouring areas. As a result, small (less than 5 mm in diameter), flat areas of pigmentation appear, generally scattered over the face, neck and arms, appearing in a variety of shades depending on the individual and the time of the year (darker in summer). Lentigo (plural being lentigenes) are also flat and a similar variety of sizes as the freckles, but they do not vary with sun exposure. Unlike freckles where there is no increase in the number of melanocytes, in lentigo there are.