Redheads are affected by the UV rays of the sun more than people with any other skin type, so it's important that you protect yourself from the damaging effects of prolonged sun exposure. We've put together this handy guide for redheads, so you can enjoy the sun without having to worry about your skin.
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.
"People with red hair have a different type of melanin than people who don't have red hair - and the type of melanin that redheads have is less able to protect them from the sun," researcher David Adams told the Guardian. The result is that gingers have far-worse levels of skin cancer.
However, people with red hair produce little of the melanin that is good at blocking the sun's harmful light, and produce more of the melanin that doesn't do as good of a job in blocking sunlight, making them more likely to get sunburned.
Low levels of eumelanin is what is responsible for pale skin as well as lighter eye colours, such as blue, green or grey. In place of tanning comes an inability to protect itself naturally against UV exposure, and so redheads burn more quickly and frequently if not wearing enough sun protection to work as a barrier.
Redheads feel hot and cold temperatures more severely than anyone else. In 2005, the University of Louisville discovered this hidden gift and hypothesised that the redhead gene, MC1R may cause the human temperature-detecting gene to become over-activated, making redheads more sensitive to thermal extremes.
After sun exposure, the melanocortin-1 receptor (MC1R) signals the pigment-producing melanocyte cells to make melanin. For most people, melanin causes the skin to tan and turn darker without DNA damage. However, people with red hair, fair skin, and freckles do not tan due to a mutation in the MC1R receptor gene.
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.
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.
In the past five years, researchers have found that the genetic mutation responsible for redhead's ruby tresses and snow-white skin also makes them more sensitive to hot and cold -- and it could also make them a whole lot harder to numb up.
First up, studies have found that 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.
Redheads might have less damage/signs of aging
This means that there is a reduced risk of sun damage and early signs of aging in the skin of redheads. This means our skin stays youthful for longer, helping us appear younger.
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!
An obvious barrier form of protection are sun hats and hair accessories that cover your head from the sun, and also aid in helping you avoid heat exhaustion. Whether that's a floppy sun hat, a bandana or baseball cap, there are plenty of stylish options to complement your summer look.
It's no secret that their pale skin makes redheads more susceptible to sunburns and skin cancers. However, some research has found a link between redhead DNA and an increased risk of melanoma. Melanoma is a type of skin cancer that begins in melanocytes, cells that produce melanin.
Simply put: natural red hair fades with age
As we age, we produce more eumelanin, which leads to hair darkening. “ Stephanie experienced this herself. She told the Huffington Post, “When I hit my mid-20s, I noticed my red hair was becoming dark and brassy.
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.
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.
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. That's 13 million people, out of the 7.6 billion on Earth.
As a group, redheads seem to be more likely to develop certain health conditions and have certain health risks. These include: Increased skin cancer risk. Altered sensitivity to pain.
They may be more sensitive to certain types of pain and can require higher doses of some pain-killing medications. 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.
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.
Yes. At Cryos, we accept all types of men that want to become sperm donors, as long as they meet our requirements to become sperm donors. In our Sperm Donor Search, you can see all the different phenotypes available, including donors with red hair.
The MC1R variant gene that gives people red hair generally results in skin that is difficult or impossible to tan. Because of the natural tanning reaction to the sun's ultraviolet light and high amounts of pheomelanin in the skin, freckles are a common, but not universal, feature of red-haired people.
Red hair is a recessive genetic trait caused by a series of mutations in the melanocortin 1 receptor (MC1R), a gene located on chromosome 16. As a recessive trait it must be inherited from both parents to cause the hair to become red.