How redheads feel different types of pain

While redheads are acutely sensitive to the sun’s harmful UV rays, bringing with it a higher risk of skin cancer, do they hold any genetic tricks up their sleeves? They can develop vitamin D using lower levels of sunlight and our natural ginger shade stays with us longer than people’s other hair shades, but is that the extent of it?

It turns out that the mutated MC1R ginger gene is not only responsible for red hair, but it also affects the way that redheads feel pain. Here’s a rundown of the different ways redheads may feel pain differently to other people.

Heat pain

In a 2005 study, redheads were found to be more sensitive to changes in temperature, being able to detect even slight hot and cold changes faster and with greater intensity than those with other hair shades.

Anaesthesia

And in 2004, a study found that redheads require approximately 19% more anaesthesia than other hair colours during surgery. This is also applicable to novocaine-type drugs often used by dentists, which is a good reason for redheads being more afraid of having dental work.

Painkillers

However, despite this doom and gloom, natural gingers are believed to be a little more hardcore when it comes to opioid types of painkillers, such as codeine or fentanyl, which are generally available via prescription.

This extra resilience to pain could be thanks to our MC1R ‘ginger gene’, as it is believed that redheads’ brains are able to release a hormone that mimics endorphins, giving us a little self-painkilling boost. This means that in theory redheads could have the same effects of pain relief from using a smaller dosage.