Should redheads avoid the sun?

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].

Why can't gingers be in the sun?

People with red hair produce little of the skin pigment called melanin that is good at blocking the sun's harmful light.

Do redheads need less sunlight?

Naturally Produce More Vitamin D

Fortunately for redheads, it doesn't take much sun exposure for their bodies to manufacture a healthy amount of vitamin D. Your body generates vitamin D when the sun's ultraviolet B (UVB) rays penetrate the top layer of your skin.

How long should redheads be in the sun?

Just five minutes or less will let the UVB rays hit your skin and kick start your natural vitamin D production. The trick is to stay in the sun half the time it would normally take for your skin to start turning red.

Do redheads sunburn more easily?

Because MC1R affects the body systemically, the mutation also dictates other differences in the ginger-haired. While it makes redheads more susceptible to sunburn, that very sensitivity to ultraviolet rays also allows their bodies to produce more vitamin D, which is essential to bone development and good health.

Gingers Can't Feel Pain Properly - THIS IS WHY!

What diseases are redheads prone to?

About 1–2% of people of European origin have red hair. Especially female redheads are known to suffer higher pain sensitivity and higher incidence of some disorders, including skin cancer, Parkinson's disease and endometriosis.

What is special about redheads?

Redheads actually have less hair than most other people. On average they only have 90,000 strands of hair while blonds, for example, have 140,000. However, red hair is typically thicker so it still looks just as full.

Do redheads age slower?

The MC1R gene might actually make redheads look young

According to research published in Current Biology, people with the MC1R gene, aka the gene that produces red hair and fair skin, tend to look several years younger than their non-ginger counterparts.

Do redheads get colder faster?

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.

What does sun do to ginger hair?

It may be a nice feeling to allow the sun's rays to lighten your ginger hair shade during summer, but in reality that UV is also doing a lot of damage to the condition and colour of your hair. Make way for drier, duller, coarser, more unmanageable hair.

What are facts about gingers in bed?

Yes, according to science, people with ginger hair are better in bed. 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.

Do gingers feel heat more?

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.

Do redheads live long?

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!

How long will gingers go extinct?

Red hair is caused by a recessive gene and it's not possible for this gene to simply die out. Even if there were no more redheads, people would still carry the recessive gene and that gene can appear at any time. Redheads may become rarer in the future, but they aren't going anywhere.

Will gingers go extinct?

There's more research on the variations in human hair color than you might expect, and the science makes it clear that crimson locks are not becoming increasingly rare, nor will they disappear any time soon. It's a trait that dates to prehistory.

Can gingers train their skin to tan?

To sum all that science up, red heads have a faulty MC1R receptor which doesn't switch on in response to the sun's UV rays. This means the yellow-red pheomelanin in their melanocytes cannot be converted into the brown-black eumelanin which creates a sun tan.

Do redheads get sick more often?

Some studies indicate that redheads are more prone to illness because they prefer to keep out of the sun and so lack vitamin D, or because their ability to absorb the vitamin is less efficient.

What age do redheads go gray?

A new survey reported by the Daily Mail says ladies should start worrying in their 30s: specifically, ages 30, 32, and 35 (for redheads, brunettes, and blonds, respectively).

Are redheads healthier?

They don't need as much vitamin D

So when a redhead goes outside, he or she produces more vitamin D in a shorter amount of time than people with other hair colors. This gives an evolutionary advantage, since low levels of vitamin D can lead to ailments like rickets, diabetes and arthritis.

Are redheads Scottish or Irish?

Ireland has the highest per capita percentage of redheads in the world -- anywhere from 10 to 30 percent, according to Eupedia, a website that explores European genetics and ancestry. They are almost equally prevalent in Scotland and other pockets of Celtic pride.

What nationality has the most red hair?

Less than 2% of the world's population has red hair. The highest concentration of redheads is in Scotland (13%), followed by Ireland (10%).

What is the rarest eye color for redheads?

Why is redhead so rare?

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.

What kind of personality do redheads have?

They are typified as impulsive, quick-tempered, libidinous, and wild. The personalities of people with red hair are often believed to be imitative of their red hair, and they are seen as fiery, hot-tempered, hot-blooded, passionate, and angry.

Why can't gingers handle heat?

Conclusion: Red hair is the phenotype for mutations of the melanocortin 1 receptor. Our results indicate that redheads are more sensitive to thermal pain and are resistant to the analgesic effects of subcutaneous lidocaine.