They may be ginger, but their skin may not.
In a seemingly paradoxical study, American researchers found that redheads have a preternataturally high pain tolerance – wait – due to a mechanism that increases their susceptibility to sunburn.
“These findings describe the mechanistic basis behind previous evidence suggesting varying pain thresholds in different antecedents of pigmentation,” said Dr. David Fisher of Massachusetts General Hospital in Massachusetts. He led the fiery study published in the journal Science Advances.
Research has found that the cells that determine skin color, called melanocytes, play an important role in deciding how people experience pain.
Because fire-haired people have a defective melanocyte, they cannot process enough dark pigment to tan, which has the added effect of raising their threshold to harm them.
Not to worry, no Ron Weasley was injured in the name of science. Examination of red-skinned mice revealed that their melanocytes functioned similarly to that of oxide-headed humans.
Like all people, people with crimson curls, the rarest hair color, have a melanocyte receptor called melanocortin 1, the main guideline of which determines when the body produces dark brown and black coloration, the Daily Mail reported.
However, in redheads the receptor does not work, making their pale skin virtually incapable of tanning and more vulnerable to sunburn.
Fortunately, despite their increased sensitivity to the sun, these “vermellionhairs” are also less likely to feel the burn.
The mentioned screw receptors reduce the production of a chemical called POMC, causing lower levels of various hormones. In turn, this strikes a balance between pain-inhibiting and pain-enhancing receptors, increasing the function of opioid sensors that provide pain and are not manufactured by skin color cells.
As a result, redheads have a higher pain tolerance than their blond and brunette siblings.
The goal of the research is not to confirm the “South Park” stereotype that ginger has weird superpowers (even if it has been scientifically proven to smell sexier, among other special abilities).
On the contrary, “understanding this mechanism provides a validation of this previous evidence and valuable recognition for medical staff when caring for pain-sensitive patients who may vary,” Dr. Fisher said.
The Scut Farkuses of the world are not the only ones that can withstand abnormal levels of abuse. A 2019 study found that women are the superior sex when it comes to processing the agony that occurred in the past.