Blondes may stereotypically have more fun, but some studies show those born with red locks might feel more pain. So we all need to treat our ginger-headed friends more gingerly since research shows they're more sensitive to hot and cold, and strangely, redheads also require more anesthesia to become numb.
For those with brown, black, and blond hair, the Melanocortin-1 receptor (MC1R) gene produces melanin, which gives our hair and skin color. In redheads, this gene is mutated and produces pheomelanin instead, causing pale skin, freckles, and strawberry tresses. MC1R mutations also affect carrot tops' perception of pain and the effectiveness of drugs that are used to block the sensation of pain.
Not only is this research interesting (and may explain why your friend screamed her red head off when she got her ears pierced), but it may also help scientists design drugs that are more person-specific based on an individual's genetic profile.
If you're a redhead, please share your thoughts on this hairy subject.
Versace
I'm not a redhead, but I will say that its disturbing that Lindsay Lohan looks older than Marcia Cross.
Also, Debra Messing is not a natural redhead. She dyes her brown locks.
1Hmmm, interesting. I'm not the stereotypical pale freckled red head, I tan quite nicely. I don't think I can objectively speak to the amount of pain I feel but when I got a mole removed the Dr did have to inject a bit more numbing stuff because I could feel the test pin pricks. I am a bit of a baby when it comes to bandaids and things but I also have multiple tattoos which I don't find all that bad but not fun that's for sure. My nose piercing didn't hurt at all but my ears were probably the most pain I have felt.
2I'm a redhead, but I tend to think my pain threshold is pretty high. This is some interesting stuff, I didn't know my hair color was caused by a mutated gene.
3Not a redhead, but wish I was!
4I'm a redhead, but I have a pretty high pain threshold so this is surprising.
5I'm redhaired and dentists and doctors are AMAZED at the amount of anesthetic and numbing agents they need to use to get me ready for a procedure. My mom and sister are both redhaired as well and experience the same thing although not quite as severely as I do.
6not true at all.
I'm a redhead, and I handle pain better than anyone I know.
7Funny, I've been told by every surgeon I've ever had that pale blonds feel the most pain.
8I was born with red hair, which fell out when I was about one and after about a year of being bald, it grew in blonde. still have the pale skin/freckles and look better with my hair dyed red than blonde (compliments my skin more). I think my blonde hair is just a fluke.
Like Julia RG, the amount of anesthetics and numbing agents my dentist has to use is obscene. He's always amazed that he ends up giving me two extra shots of novacaine than what he thought because I can still feel it when I shouldn't. And I have had moles removed before and had to get the extra numbing done too!
9I am a natural redhead well, it leans more towards red-brown and I have a VERY high pain tolerance. Other then that,
10I think this is definitely true that redheads do feel more pain - and as a result, may have a higher pain tolerance, because they've had experience with more pain through the course of their lives.
Midwives and OBS also say that redheads bleed MUCH more in labor than women with hair colors.
11Interesting, because I just recently went to the dentist and had to have extra novocaine (and I have naturally reddish-brown hair and freckles). It didn't have anything to do with tolerating pain, but rather, I still had feeling in my gums when they should have been numb. I think an individual's "threshold" for pain is probably more psychological than anything. I can be really sensitive to some types of pain, but then things like giving blood and getting shots don't bother me at all.
12Hmmm. I am a natural redhead, and I had my wisdom teeth removed about a week ago. It really wasn't all that painful, to be honest. The painkillers must've worked just fine for me. Also, I have six ear piercings, none of which were particularly painful. Like other people have said, it must just be a very high pain tolerance. Interesting about the receptor gene/hair color connection.
13I have auburn hair and so does my daughter. Not sure my opinion yet. My daughter has a really high pain tolerance and I think I do too. I have more than one tattoo, but I do remember getting pepper sprayed for law enforcement training and tolerated it well, but my skin was very sensitive to it even more than my eyes.
14My entire family is red-headed and freckled and about half of us have an issue. It's not so much that we can't tolerate pain (I consider myself to be quite tough) but novacaine does not work on us. My dentist will give me three shots for a small filling and I still feel it - I handle it quite well but I can feel it and cannot get completely numb. A bunch of my aunts and cousins have the same issue (all with red hair and freckles) so I do think there is a lot of truth to it. I've also had family have issue with anesthesia. It's less about the pain and more about the body's nerve response/resistence to anesthetics.
15I don't think there's a way to measure this accurately because we can't get into another person's body to see how their pain relates to ours. Does that even make sense? For example, the worst pain someone has ever experienced (so a 10 on the pain scale) might feel only as bad as the middle pain another person has experienced (so a 5 on that person's pain scale). Am I making any sense?
On the dentist front, I'm somewhat fair-skinned, but I tan really easily and my hair is medium blond (but was platinum when I was a child). And I also need way more Novocaine than the average patient! When I got my root canal I could feel it the whole time, but I thought it was normal and it was uncomfortable, but not painful, so I didn't say anything. When they actually pulled the pulp out, though, it was excruciatingly painful. Since then, I've always gotten extra Novocaine! (And sometimes nitrous to go with it.)
16I was born a strawberry-blond and I never thought about the pain issue at all but this kind of makes sense. When I younger I had an episode at a dentist's office where I freaked out, an intense holding the chair and won't move freak out, because the pain horrible and I wasn't completely numb... and now it all makes sense. I don't know about being sensitive to temperatures, maybe that's because I was more blond than a true redhead. Don't know, interesting stuff though.
17i laughed when i read the title to this because my boyfriend always says i feel pain from piratically nothing.
only other things i have noticed are that i bruise easily. the article also mentions temperature.. i always feel like i'm complaining of being cold.
that aside, i think i handle pain fine.. but who knows? i have no other comparison! i don't need extra novocain, shots aren't a problem, piercings have never been an issue and even when i'm sick, i handle the pain associated with that better than others usually.
18Hello, my hair is brown and my skin is like medium (i wear nc 15 or nc 20 on mac) and i need lots of anesthesia because it doesnt work fast on me, so i need more, and i don't know why!
19I have red hair and fair skin. It doesn't matter how much novocaine is used at the dentist I feel insane pain the whole time. I am always cold but also get heat exhaustion faster than anyone I know when I'm outside in the sun. My feet usually end up bruised after a pedicure and the water is always too hot when I go to get my hair cut. Oh yeah, now maybe my mom will believe that I wasn't just being a baby when she would brush my hair as a kid. It really did hurt!
20I am a redhead for almost 60 years.. red hair, blue eyes, i do tan though.. I can tell you that it takes at least 3 novocaine shots to numb me... My ex used to say you are a woos.. not true I do feel pain differently.. my ex used to get her teeth drilled with out any novocaine..
21wow, how weird, i am a redhead but i tan very well, and i guess the pain thing doesn´t apply to me, i´m quite pain tolerant compared to other girls of my age
22i'm a strawberry blonde with very pale freckle-covered skin...i agree that my pain tolerance is rather high like many of those whom have posted prior, however, that's just "tolerance", do not confuse that word with feeling. i have 10 piercings and tattoos to boot, but i like the pain...i do believe many other stereotypes about red heads are true as well
23I'm a redhead, and I always need an extra shot of novocaine.
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