Gingers get a lot of grief about being different but is it true that redheads feel pain differently too? Having red hair is not common. Statistics say that only about 2% of the population is naturally redheaded. That’s about the same number of people that have bipolar disorder. Even though they are small in numbers, a lot of redheads do seem to be able to tolerate and process pain differently than their dark haired counter parts.
It’s common myth that most people born with red hair have heard. According to the rumors, redheads feel pain differently and are also much more sensitive to pain medications. Like many old sayings, this one has been taken with a grain of salt until researchers proved that redheads may feel pain differently. Studies show that there is truth to the old rumor and the reason why is hidden in the genes that make redheads redheaded.
The redhead gene is not a myth. Scientists actually know exactly what mutation in genes occur to produce a red-headed person. According to them, both parents must pass along a genetic trait for their kid to be redheaded. This causes a mutation of the melanocortin 1 receptor (MC1R). When this mutation happens, the person can not produce average amounts of melanin. How much melanin our body produces contributes to the color of our hair, skin tone and eyes. But what does melanin have to do with pain?
Why do redheads feel pain differently?
It’s actually the malanocortin 1 receptor that has do with pain and not the melanin itself. The gene that mutates to create red hair is also responsible for the functionality in the mid-brain that responds to pain. Many studies have concluded that redheads perceive pain differently than other people. No one believes this more than anesthesiologists and other medical professionals who have seen the differences in pain perception first hand.
Medical professionals have proven that many people with red hair also require additional anesthesia to keep them from feeling pain. It has also been well documented that redheads need nearly double the dose of local anesthetics to block the pain. Not only do red heads need more pain blocking medications to undergo surgeries and other procedures but they also seem to respond differently to medications prescribed to treat pain.
Sources say that redheads who are prescribed analgesics (or medications for pain) were very sensitive to their effects. According to some doctors people who have red hair are usually unaware that they don’t need the normal dose of a pain medication and not all professionals are in the know either. This means that redheads need to be really proactive and mindful about taking pain medications so they don’t overdo it. Redheads have been know to be especially sensitive to high powered pain killers like opioids.
It may seem far fetched to think that a gene can have control over both hair color and pain response. Redheads do feel pain differently and it’s because their unique genetic makeup. That same genetic makeup is responsible for many other traits often attributed to gingers but none is more controversial than the idea that redheads feel pain differently. In spite of the controversy, it seems this rumor is actually fact.
