Today we will learn how to say freckles, pimples, dimples, cold sores, birth mark, mole, blackhead, and warts in Spanish. I will begin by telling about an experience that I had here in Medellin, Colombia that made me realize that it is important to know how to say these words in Spanish. This story will also help you learn these Spanish words.

Yesterday, I was supposed to start "terapia" (therapy) for my "hombro" (shoulder). I injured my shoulder here in Medellin, Colombia doing a sport called Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (or in Spanish "Jiu-Jitsu brasileño"). If you are not familiar with BJJ (Brazilian Jiu Jitsu) you can think of it as a combination of "lucha libre" (wrestling) and judo.

When I arrived ready to begin my therapy session the receptionist told me in Spanish that she had no record of my appointment. I told her that I had walked-in a few days ago when I was in the area and made my appointment in person with a completely different receptionist. But she realized that there was no record of my appointment to begin my therapy session and that it would be necessary for me to make another appointment to begin my therapy and come back another day.

That's when I asked her was there anything that I could do considering that she was unable to locate any record of my appointment and that I had traveled quite a distance to begin my therapy sessions.

And she then asked me about the other receptionist, the one who made the appointment for me. C Cómo es? C Cómo se ve? (What does she look like?)

That's when I told her in Spanish that the receptionist who made the appointment for me had freckles, dimples, and a mole. Actually, I thought the mole was kind of cute so I told her in Spanish
that the other receptionist had a beauty mark on her face. She also had an awful cold sore on her mouth but I did not bother to mention that in any language.

With that description the receptionist was able to locate the other receptionist (who was on a different floor at the time), and finally confirmed my appointment so that I could begin my therapy immediately and not have to return another day to begin.

That's when I realized how important it can be to know how to say freckles, dimples, pimples, cold sore, etc., in Spanish. So I want to share these words with you so that you will know them in case you ever need to use them.

1. Dimple – Hoyuelo

Cuando Claudia se ríe se le forman unos hoyuelos en las mejillas.
When Claudia laughs dimples form in her cheeks.

By the way, the word that people use for dimples in Colombia is "huequitos" instead of "hoyuelos." "Huequitos" literally means "little holes." Here in Colombia, they also tend to use the word "cachetes" instead of "mejilla" for the English word checks.

2. Pimples – Granos

Ese adolescente tiene muchos granos en la cara.
That adolescent has a lot of pimples on his face.

Depending on how a pimple looks and where it is located on the body, Spanish speakers may also use the words "barro" and "barrito."

3. Birth mark – marca de nacimiento

No puedo ver tu marca de nacimiento.
I can not see your birth mark.

Instead of "marca de nacimiento" you may also hear Spanish speakers say "mancha de nacimiento."

4. Freckles – Pecas

La mesera tiene pecas en la cara.
The waitress has freckles on her face.

5. Mole – Lunar

El lunar de ella es una marca de belleza.
Her mole is a beauty mark.

6. Fever blisters or cold sores – Llagas

Ella no quería besarlo porque tenía llagas en la boca.
She did not want to kiss him because he had cold sores on his mouth.

"Llagas" a very formal phrase that you may hear, especially in Spain, is "herpes labial" (literally, "herpes of the lips"). I never use the term "herpes labial" for obvious reasons …

That's because if I had a cold sore on my mouth I'd prefer for someone to tell me that I had a "llaga en la boca" instead of "herpes labial."

Now let me give you a very informal word for cold sore that you may hear not only in Colombia but in other parts of Latin America:

Fuegos en la boca (literally, "fire on the mouth") or just "fuegos" for short.

By the way, I have heard that Mexicans use the word "afta" for fever blister but you may want to confirm this with someone from Mexico because my Spanish dictionary says that an "afta" is "an ulcer of the mouth."

7. Mark – mancha

Ella tiene una mancha pequeña en la frente.
She has a small mark on her forehead.

8. Blackhead – Espinillas

Me salió una espinilla en la espalda.
A blackhead came out of my back.

Another word for blackheads that is commonly used in Latin America is "punto negros," literally "black spots."

9. Wart – Verruga

Yo tenía una verruga en la mano.
I had a wart on my hand.