Is there any way of getting rid of freckles? I mean really.. not a miracle cure. I've always had them and I feel rather like a speckled hen.

i personally think that freckles are very pretty and make you unique. you can´t really get rid of them anyway, only lighten them.

I have freckles too, but i dont really mind anymore. They used to kill me, i felt sooo self conscious and didnt like pics of me. but that was when i was little. they are sooo light on my face now that some people dont even notice i have them!! its great. but it has taken me...5 years of staying away from prolonged sun exposure, I ALWAYS (!!!!!!!!!!!) wear sun screen and try to have my visor with me if i go somewhere that will require my skin to be in the sun (im quite attached to my visor now!). So this is what i recommend:
~stay outta the sun whenever you can, and if you cant, wear a hat and lots of block.
~ALWAYS have block on your face, get a moisterisor with spf 15 in it.
~dont hate 'em, they are permanent! learn to deal with them and they arent so bad. lots of people in the world are covered in them!

demgams....until I was about 18 or 20 I had an abundance of freckles - they eventually faded over time, but I still have alot on my shoulders (I'm now in my 40's)

Sun exposure makes them come out more, but they don't bother me anymore...as I've gotten older I look at my freckles as a reminder of my youth!

Many freckled people, however, are also fair skinned -

As previously mentioned, it's very important to wear sunblock to protect the lighter portions of your skin, and it will also help prevent the darker pigments (or freckles) from coming out even darker!

demgrams, you may try Retinol or Alpha Hydroxy. These products sluff off the outer layers of the skin and can fade or remove dark spots caused by sun exposure.

If you do decide to try either of these products, using sunblock is a must do, since the skin will become more vulnerable to sun damage and freckles.