Redheads feel hot and cold temperatures more severely than anyone else. In 2005, the University of Louisville discovered this hidden gift and hypothesised that the redhead gene, MC1R may cause the human temperature-detecting gene to become over-activated, making redheads more sensitive to thermal extremes.
This is because of a specific gene connected to redheads – the MC1R gene. This gene makes the individual more sensitive to touch than people with other hair colours. It's the same gene that makes redheads more susceptible to hot and cold temperatures and also means us gingers have a higher pain threshold.
As a group, redheads seem to be more likely to develop certain health conditions and have certain health risks. These include: Increased skin cancer risk. Altered sensitivity to pain.
It's no secret that their pale skin makes redheads more susceptible to sunburns and skin cancers. However, some research has found a link between redhead DNA and an increased risk of melanoma. Melanoma is a type of skin cancer that begins in melanocytes, cells that produce melanin.
Lifespan: up to 20 years in captivity, 5-10 years in the wild. Special Adaptations: Males have an elaborate courtship dance where they throw back their heads, almost touching their tail!
In other respects, however, redheads turn out to be tougher than other people. Research has produced evidence that redheads are less sensitive to stinging pain in the skin.
As a redhead, or someone with a redheaded child, it's important to be aware of the risks of sun exposure to this particular skin type. Redheads carry a gene called MC1R, which increases a person's risk of developing malignant melanoma as a result of sun exposure[1].
They easily detect changes in hot and cold temperatures. They may be less sensitive to electric shock, needle pricks and stinging pain on the skin.
And when you meet a red head with blue eyes, you are looking at the rarest colour combination of all for human beings. Around 17 per cent of people have blue eyes, and when combined with 1-2 per cent having red hair, the odds of having both traits are around 0.17 per cent.
People with darker skin and the ability to tan have high eumelanin levels and low pheomelanin levels. Redheads, however, have low levels of eumelanin and high pheomelanin levels. Pheomelanin's pinkish colour also explains the red pigments found in ginger hair, and in most cases, a warm, rosy skin tone, too.
Sex Researcher Professor Dr Werner Habermehl said: “The sex lives of women with red hair were clearly more active than those with other hair colour, with more partners and having sex more often than the average. The research shows that the fiery redhead certainly lives up to her reputation.”
This is because of a specific gene connected to redheads – the MC1R gene. This gene makes the individual more sensitive to touch than people with other hair colours.
Less than 2 percent of the world's population has red hair, making it the rarest hair color in the world. It's the result of the mutated MC1R gene. If both parents carry that gene, their child has a 25% chance of getting lovely, red locks, even if the parents don't have red hair themselves.
Researchers think that the ginger gene, known as MC1R, may cause the temperature-detecting gene to become over-activated, making redheads more sensitive to the cold.
A study headed by Dr. Edwin Liem at the University of Louisville in Kentucky found that redheads are more sensitive to hot and cold, and are hurt by the cold at temperatures nearly 11 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than others.
Ireland has the highest number of red-haired people per capita in the world, with the percentage of those with red hair at around 10%. Great Britain also has a high percentage of people with red hair.
How common is strawberry blonde hair? Having natural red hair is rare (like, two percent of the population rare), so coming across someone with natural strawberry blonde hair isn't common.
The skin of a redhead is thinner compared to others and is derived from the ectoderm. Teeth enamel is also derived from the ectoderm and thus is thinner than usual. Since the enamel coating is thin, the inner layer of tooth-dentin is more visible and offers a yellowish appearance.
As with any hair color and complexion, there are some “no-no's.” Avoid pastels since these colors tend to wash out those with red hair. Also avoid most oranges, yellows, and burgundy-reds. Yellow is really a wild card color— on some it looks unbelievably good, and others it washes them out!
These are recessive traits. The DNA for blonde hair and red hair are about equally strong. People who have DNA for both often have strawberry blonde hair.
Even today, some doctors believe that African-Americans are more tolerant of pain. One study found that relative to other racial groups, physicians are twice as likely to underestimate black patients' pain.
REDHEADS are significantly less likely to age badly.
According to their findings, those who carry a variation of the MC1R gene responsible for red hair, look around two years younger than they actually are.
Someone with red hair has two copies of the MC1R gene, receiving one from each parent. The gene also carries a certain mutation in most people who have red hair. It's this variant that has been identified as playing a role in why redheads may respond to pain drugs differently than others.
However, people with red hair produce little of the melanin that is good at blocking the sun's harmful light, and produce more of the melanin that doesn't do as good of a job in blocking sunlight, making them more likely to get sunburned.