However, studies suggest that their general pain tolerance may be higher. People with red hair also respond more effectively to opioid pain medications, requiring lower doses. People with red hair have a variant of the melanocortin-1 receptor (MC1R) gene.
“In addition, there is recent evidence that redheads are more tolerant to local anesthetics and more sensitive to opioids.”
Redheads May Be at Higher Risk for Skin Cancer and Parkinson's. Redheads' pale complexion may also mean sunburns, which increases the risk of skin cancer.
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.
We found that redheads were significantly more sensitive to cold pain perception, cold pain tolerance, and heat pain tolerance.
According to Health Magazine, redheads can produce their own vitamin D when exposed to low levels of light. 4. You may not need as much pain medication. The gene responsible for red hair (MC1R) also releases a hormone that is similar to endorphins which limit the feeling of pain.
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.
Worldwide, only 2% of people have red hair. People with red hair are likely more sensitive to pain. This is because the gene mutation (MC1R) that causes red hair is on the same gene linked to pain receptors. It also means redheads usually need more anesthesia for dental and medical procedures.
Final Thoughts on Redheads and Alcohol Tolerance
There's not enough evidence to claim redheads have a higher tolerance to alcohol than other people. However, several social and genetic factors (including the MC1R mutation) may lead to a perception that they have a high tolerance and a predisposition to alcoholism.
Having red hair and blue eyes is the rarest hair/eye color combination possible. The odds of a person having both of those recessive traits is around 0.17%. Instead, most redheads have brown, hazel or green eyes, according to Medical Daily.
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.
Since red hair is a recessive trait, the children of two redheaded parents will almost always be redheaded as well. In contrast, if only one parent is redheaded and the other has brown hair, there is a higher chance that the children will display the dominant trait and will have brown hair.
The same mutation that makes their hair red is also what causes them to be more sensitive to temperature changes — even slight ones. They feel hot and cold temperature changes faster and with greater intensity than those with other hair colors.
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.
And, while redheads are often stereotyped as stubborn, this isn't necessarily a bad thing. As a matter of fact, that resoluteness is linked to a particular quality of your tresses; red hair doesn't go grey easily, and the strands of hair hang onto the colour for a long time, even if it becomes slightly faded.
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!
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.
That means both parents must carry a copy of the gene to produce a red-haired child and often the trait skips generations. Rarest of all are redheads with blue eyes. The majority have brown eyes or hazel or green shades.
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.
Red Hair Is Indeed Fiery
As a redhead, you are seen as confident, successful and temperamental. This isn't simply just a case of “seeing red” though. Redheads have been found to hold more power: in a study conducted on 500 CEOs, it was found that 4% were redheads.
Contrary to what many people assume, redheads did not originate in Scandinavia, Scotland or Ireland, but in central Asia. Their coloring is due to a mutation in the MC1R gene that fails to produce sun-protective, skin-darkening eumelanin and instead causes pale skin, freckles and red hair.