Of the many sorts of pigmentation that can appear on the skin, freckles are the type closer to the epidermis (surface of the skin) and caused by a number of reasons, including sun exposure, hormones, genetics, stress, and more. And here is where you might notice cultural differences; people from Western cultures are taught more to embrace their freckles and moles, since those are features that make you stand out and accentuate you as an individual. You know... love yourself, you look perfect the way you are... cliche expressions, but it's really embedded in everyone's minds and freckles don't seem to be much of a bother. In the Far East, on the other hand, freckles are definitely not common and are considered more of an imperfection that must be removed. We Asians want clear and translucent skin, free of anything that deviates from smooth and porcelain white. Hence, treatments for removing freckles are a lot more common.