Curious About Freckles, Birthmarks, And Moles

PODCAST 210: CURIOUS ABOUT FRECKLES, BIRTHMARKS, AND MOLES

RELEASE DATE: SUNDAY, OCTOBER 9TH, 2022

D:  HELLO, AND WELCOME BACK TO THE CURIOUS KID PODCAST.  THIS IS EPISODE 210 OF CURIOUS KID PODCAST, BUT SOMETHING IS HAPPENING FOR THE FIRST TIME IN THE HISTORY OF THE PODCAST TODAY.  IF YOU ARE LISTENING TO THIS EPISODE ON RELEASE DAY, WHICH IS OCTOBER 9TH, IT’S OLIVIA’S BIRTHDAY.  HAPPY 9TH BIRTHDAY, OLIVIA.

O:  THANK YOU SO MUCH DADDY.  WE STARTED RECORDING THIS PODCAST WHEN I WAS ONLY FOUR YEARS OLD, AND WE’VE RELEASED AN EPISODE EVERY SINGLE SUNDAY SINCE THE BEGINNING, BUT THIS IS THE FIRST TIME AN EPISODE IS BEING RELEASED ON MY BIRTHDAY, WHICH IS AWESOME.  

D:  IT’S TOTALLY AWESOME.  ONE OF THE THINGS THAT IS SO INTERESTING ABOUT HOSTING THIS PODCAST IS THAT WE HAVE LOTS OF LISTENERS THAT DON’T KNOW WHAT WE LOOK LIKE.  I LISTEN TO ABOUT 20 DIFFERENT PODCASTS ON SOME OF MY FAVORITE TOPICS, LIKE HISTORY, MUSIC, AND SPORTS, AND I DON’T KNOW WHAT MOST OF THE PODCASTERS I LISTEN TO LOOK LIKE.  OLIVIA IS A BEAUTIFUL GIRL.  IF THERE IS ONE PHYSICAL FEATURE THAT PEOPLE WOULD QUICKLY NOTICE THAT OLIVIA AND I SHARE, IT’S FRECKLES - LOTS AND LOTS OF FRECKLES.  SINCE I WAS A LITTLE CHILD, I’VE ALWAYS BEEN FASCINATED BY FRECKLES, AND OTHER SKIN FEATURES THAT HELP MAKE US ALL UNIQUE.  

O:  DOUBLE-MAILBAG!

D:  DOUBLE-MAILBAG! 

“DEAR JACOB AND OLIVIA, HELLO!! OUR NAMES ARE BENNETT, BLAKE, AND BRYSON FROM KINGSTON, NEW HAMPSHIRE, AND WE ARE 5 YEAR OLD TRIPLET BROTHERS!  WE LISTEN TO CURIOUS KID PODCAST WHENEVER WE GO FOR LONG DRIVES IN THE CAR WITH OUR DAD!  WE REALLY ENJOYED PODCAST #65 ABOUT TWINS!  WE ALSO ENJOY YOUR PODCASTS ABOUT THE HUMAN BODY.  SOMETHING WE WOULD LOVE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT IS FRECKLES AND MOLES!  WE THINK IT’S AN INTERESTING TOPIC, BECAUSE IT’S SOMETHING THAT MAKES US UNIQUE.”

“HELLO FROM DALLAS, TEXAS!  MY CHILDREN, WILLIAM (AGE 6) AND ELLIE (AGE 4) LOVE TO LISTEN TO YOUR PODCAST!  WE’VE LEARNED SO MANY INTERESTING THINGS!  WE ARE CURIOUS ABOUT BIRTHMARKS!  THANKS SO MUCH FOR MAKING OUR CAR RIDES MORE ENJOYABLE.  KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!  BEST WISHES FROM THE LONE STAR STATE.”

O:  THOSE WERE SOME AWESOME MESSAGES WE RECEIVED FROM OUR LISTENERS ON FACEBOOK.  WE CAN’T WAIT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT FRECKLES, BIRTHMARKS, AND MOLES FOR BENNETT, BLAKE, BRYSON, WILLIAM, AND ELLIE.  

D:  I’M SUPER EXCITED FOR THIS EPISODE, NOT ONLY BECAUSE THE TOPIC IS SUPER INTERESTING, BUT ALSO BECAUSE WE ARE GOING TO BE JOINED BY A VERY SPECIAL GUEST IN JUST A FEW MINUTES.

O:  OUR SPECIAL GUEST IS A DERMATOLOGIST, WHICH IS A DOCTOR WHO TREATS LOTS OF DIFFERENT CONDITIONS INVOLVING THE SKIN, HAIR, AND NAILS.  THERE ARE THOUSANDS OF DIFFERENT CONDITIONS THAT DERMATOLOGISTS TREAT, AND WE CAN’T WAIT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT FRECKLES, BIRTHMARKS, AND MOLES FROM OUR GUEST DERMATOLOGIST.    

D:  SHE IS GOING TO HELP US LEARN SO MUCH MORE ABOUT THIS WEEK’S TOPIC, AND SHE’S ALSO GOING TO ANSWER THE QUESTION OF THE WEEK.  

O:  THE QUESTION OF THE WEEK IS, CAN SOMEONE WITH FRECKLES GET MORE OR LESS FRECKLES AS THEY GET OLDER?

D:  WHILE YOU’RE THINKING ABOUT THE ANSWER, LET’S START LEARNING ABOUT FRECKLES FIRST. 

O:  FRECKLES ARE PARTS OF THE SKIN THAT HAVE MORE OF A PIGMENT, CALLED MELANIN, THAN THE SURROUNDING AREA.  THAT LEADS TO A PART OF THE SKIN THAT’S A DIFFERENT COLOR THAN THE AREA AROUND IT.  MOST FRECKLES ARE CONSIDERED TO BE SIMPLE FRECKLES, WHICH ARE SMALL AND USUALLY HARMLESS.  THEY OFTEN APPEAR ON PARTS OF THE BODY THAT GET LOTS OF EXPOSURE TO THE SUN.  THAT’S WHY YOU USUALLY FIND SIMPLE FRECKLES ON THE FACE AND ARMS.

D:  EVEN THOUGH SIMPLE FRECKLES CAN COME IN A BUNCH OF DIFFERENT COLORS, INCLUDING BLACK, BROWN, RED, AND YELLOW, AN INDIVIDUAL PERSON USUALLY HAS ONLY ONE FRECKLE COLOR.  

O:  SIMPLE FRECKLES WILL ALSO GET DARKER IN THE SUMMER MONTHS, WITH MORE EXPOSURE TO THE SUN.  

D:  PEOPLE WITH LIGHT SKIN, LIKE THE TWO OF US, AND LIGHT HAIR ARE MORE LIKELY TO HAVE FRECKLES THAN PEOPLE WITH DARKER SKIN.

O:  ALTHOUGH FRECKLES WOULD NOT BE FOUND ON NEWBORN BABIES, THEY CAN APPEAR ON KIDS AS YOUNG AS ONE OR TWO YEARS OLD.  

D:  THERE IS ANOTHER TYPE OF FRECKLE THAT IS A BIT DIFFERENT FORM SIMPLE FRECKLES, THAT ARE OFTEN REFERRED TO AS SUNBURN FRECKLES.  

O:  UNLIKE SIMPLE FRECKLES, SUNBURN FRECKLES USUALLY APPEAR ON THE BACK AND SHOULDERS.  THEY ARE ALSO USUALLY BIGGER THAN SIMPLE FRECKLES.  THEY ALSO DON’T GET LIGHTER IN THE WINTER, LIKE SIMPLE FRECKLES TEND TO DO.

D:  NOW THAT WE’VE LEARNED A BIT ABOUT FRECKLES, LET’S LEARN WHAT BIRTHMARKS ARE, AND HOW THEY DIFFER FROM FRECKLES.

O:  BIRTHMARKS ARE MARKS ON THE SKIN THAT USUALLY APPEAR FROM BIRTH, WHICH IS WHY THEY ARE CALLED BIRTHMARKS.  UNLIKE FRECKLES, WHICH ARE FLAT, BIRTHMARKS CAN BE FLAT OR RAISED, AND THEY COME IN LOTS OF DIFFERENT COLORS, SOMETIMES EVEN PINK OR PURPLE.  BIRTHMARKS CAN BE SMALL, LIKE THE SIZE OF A PEA, OR THEY CAN BE MUCH LARGER TOO.    

D:  LIKE FRECKLES, BIRTHMARKS ARE USUALLY HARMLESS.  THEY MIGHT EVEN GO AWAY OR GET SMALLER OVER TIME.  

O:  THERE ARE TWO BASIC TYPES OF BIRTHMARKS THAT OCCUR FOR DIFFERENT REASONS.  THEY ARE CALLED PIGMENTED BIRTHMARKS AND VASCULAR BIRTHMARKS.

D:  PIGMENTED BIRTHMARKS APPEAR BECAUSE THERE ARE MORE CELLS THAT CREATE PIGMENT IN A PARTICULAR AREA OF THE SKIN.  VASCULAR BIRTHMARKS OCCUR WHEN THERE ARE TOO MANY BLOOD VESSELS IN AN AREA OR THE BLOOD VESSELS ARE WIDER THAN USUAL.  

O:  THERE ARE LOTS OF OPINIONS ON WHAT A BIRTHMARK MIGHT MEAN.  SOME PEOPLE BELIEVE THAT BIRTHMARKS ARE GOOD LUCK, WHILE OTHERS BELIEVE THAT BIRTHMARKS MEAN THAT THE PERSON IS POSSESSED BY DEMONS.  THE REASON FOR ALL OF THESE THEORIES IS THAT SCIENTISTS AREN’T REALLY CERTAIN WHAT CAUSES BIRTHMARKS, LEAVING PEOPLE TO COME UP WITH THEIR OWN EXPLANATIONS.  

D:  ONE MORE SKIN FEATURE TO LEARN ABOUT BEFORE YOU INTERVIEW A DERMATOLOGIST.  LET’S TALK ABOUT MOLES.

O:  THE WORD MOLE IS LATIN, AND IT MEANS SPOT.  THERE ARE THREE DIFFERENT TYPES OF MOLES.

D:  THAT’S RIGHT.  CONGENITAL MOLES ARE MOLES THAT BABIES ARE BORN WITH.  ABOUT ONE OUT OF EVERY 100 BABIES BORN WILL HAVE CONGENITAL MOLES.  THEY COME IN LOTS OF DIFFERENT COLORS AND SIZES, AND THEY NEVER GO AWAY.

O:  ACQUIRED MOLES ARE MOLES THAT DON’T APPEAR UNTIL LATER.  THEY ARE USUALLY VERY SMALL, MEASURING LESS THAN A QUARTER OF AN INCH.  THEY ARE ALSO COMMONLY BROWN.  IT IS BELIEVED THAT THESE MOLES MIGHT BE A SIGN OF SKIN DAMAGE CAUSED BY THE SUN.

D:  FINALLY, THERE ARE ATYPICAL MOLES.  THEY ARE BIGGER THAN OTHER MOLES, AND MANY ATYPICAL MOLES AREN’T BROWN.  ATYPICAL MOLES MIGHT EVEN IMPACT THE COLOR OF SURROUNDING SKIN AS WELL.   

O:  MANY MOLES START OFF RESEMBLING FRECKLES, AND THEN THEY CAN CHANGE IN COLOR, SHAPE, AND SIZE OVER TIME.  THEY ARE MORE COMMON IN FAIR SKINNED PEOPLE. 

D:  WE’VE LEARNED A LOT ABOUT FRECKLES, BIRTHMARKS, AND MOLES, BUT WE ARE SUPER LUCKY TO HAVE A DERMATOLOGIST JOIN US TO ANSWER A FEW QUESTIONS.  DR. OKON IS A BOARD CERTIFIED DERMATOLOGIST WHO PRACTICES A COMBINATION OF GENERAL AND SURGICAL DERMATOLOGY FOR BOTH KIDS AND ADULTS IN A PRIVATE PRACTICE IN VOORHEES, NEW JERSEY.  TAKE IT AWAY, OLIVIA.

O:  DR. OKON, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US ON CURIOUS KID PODCAST.  I’M SO EXCITED TO HAVE THE CHANCE TO ASK YOU SOME QUESTIONS.  THE QUESTION OF THE WEEK IS, CAN SOMEONE WITH FRECKLES GET MORE OR LESS FRECKLES AS THEY GET OLDER?

DR. O: _________________________________________

O:  ARE BIRTHMARKS, FRECKLES, AND MOLES HEREDITARY?

DR. O: _________________________________________

O:  HOW DO YOU KNOW WHEN YOU NEED TO SEE A DERMATOLOGIST REGARDING YOUR BIRTHMARKS, FRECKLES, OR MOLES?

DR. O: __________________________________________

D:  WOW, THAT WAS AN AMAZING INTERVIEW.  A BIG, BIG THANKS TO DR. OKON FOR TAKING THE TIME TO ANSWER A FEW QUESTIONS FOR US.  

O:  THANK YOU, DR. OKON, FOR GIVING US THE “SKIN”NY ON FRECKLES, BIRTHMARKS, AND MOLES. 

D:  WELL, THAT’S A WRAP FOR THIS WEEK’S EPISODE.

O:  210 - FRECKLES, BIRTHMARKS, AND MOLES.

D:  GREAT JOB OLIVIA, AND GREAT JOB BENNETT, BLAKE, BRYSON, WILLIAM, AND ELLIE FOR AN EPISODE TOPIC SUGGESTION THAT DEFINITELY REMINDS US TO LOVE THE SKIN WE’RE IN.  BEFORE WE WRAP THIS EPISODE UP, WE HAVE SOME AWESOME PEOPLE TO THANK.    

O:  THANK YOU TO OUR NEWEST PATREON SUPPORTERS, STEPAN A. AND DYLAN A.

D:  A BIG THANKS TO STEPAN AND DYLAN FOR THE SUPPORT.  NEXT WEEK, WE WILL GET CURIOUS ABOUT NUMBERS AND MATH FOR LISTENERS IN MASSACHUSETTS, MARYLAND, CALIFORNIA, FLORIDA, AND UTAH.  AS ALWAYS, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR LISTENING AND GETTING CURIOUS WITH US.