Rebecca Sager, senior vice president of development at HealthyWomen, was in the hospital prep room preparing to give birth to her first child when the nurse came in and asked her a strange question: “Are you really a redhead?”
“You’ll find out in a minute,” Sager joked, knowing the nurse was there to see how dilated she was. Sager is, in fact, a true redhead. Or as she said, the rug matches the curtains.
Natural redheads are rare: less than 2% of the population. Was the nurse so captivated by Sager’s fiery mane that she had to know if she was real? Probably. But she also asked because, if Sager’s hair color was natural, it meant she might need more treatment for pain during childbirth.
“I’d never heard that before,” Sager said.
Do redheads have a higher pain tolerance?
There is a growing body of investigation That shows that people with red hair experience pain differently compared to people of other hair colors. It is not yet known what causes this, but one theory has to do with the melanocortin-1 receptor (MC1R) gene.
All red-haired people are born with a mutation of the MC1R gene. Not only does that give them auburn hair strands, but, according to a 2021 study study, also reduces gene function. And those changes affect the balance between sensitivity and pain tolerance.
In general, research on redheads supports the apparent contradiction that they have a higher pain tolerance in general, but have a higher sensitivity to certain types of pain.
For example, one study She found that red-haired women were more sensitive to temperature-related pain compared to dark-haired women. but another study He found that red-haired people were less sensitive to the pain caused by electric shocks.
The differences don’t end with how redheads perceive pain. They also respond differently to pain relievers. Given the range of pain sensitivity and different types of pain, pain management can present challenges for redheads. Studies People with red hair may need higher doses of some types of non-opioid pain relievers. However, the 2021 study mentioned above found that redheads may be more sensitive to opioids and need fewer medications to stop pain.
Sensitivity to opioids may be even more pronounced in women. One study They found that women with two parents with red hair (meaning they have two variant MC1R genes) had significantly higher pain tolerance and significantly higher sensitivity to opioids.
Rebecca Sager, showing off her red hair, 2023
Do redheads need more anesthesia?
Research on whether redheads need more anesthesia is limited, but if you talk to redhead women, you may hear anecdotal evidence that they need more anesthesia. Because? The theory dates back to the mutation of the MC1R gene, which leads to a reduced response to anesthesia, so more is needed. One study found that red-haired women needed almost 20% more anesthesia for sedation compared to dark-haired women.
Della Lin, MDanesthesiologist and secretary of the Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation, noted that the research on redheads and more anesthesia comes from smaller studies, so it may not be something your healthcare provider (HCP) thinks about right away.
Lin encourages redheads, and everyone else, to raise any concerns about anesthesia or pain management before the procedure. “I could keep that thought in the back of my mind [that you have red hair]but I’m not going to increase anything by default,” Lin said. “So it’s good to know if you’ve noticed that you’re sensitive to opioids… because everyone is a little different.”
Jackie Wexler, a high school teacher with curly scarlet red hair, said she had no idea that her hair color was related to her reaction to medications. But looking back, over-the-counter pain relievers haven’t done much to relieve her menstrual cramps or her headache attacks. “Now I have the worst migraine attacks and nothing helps me,” she said.
Read: 8 types of migraine attacks >>
It makes sense to her that a high tolerance for pain and certain painkillers is genetic. She said her sister, who is also a redhead, needed more painkillers than she was given when she gave birth.
Sager is now aware of her true redhead status and tries to get her healthcare professionals on the same page regarding any painkillers or anesthesia she may need. Still, some providers don’t believe the connection between redheads and pain is true. When Sager went to have a colonoscopy, she told her anesthesiologist that she needed a higher dose. She pointed to her head. He said she didn’t. So when the nurse came in and asked why she was still coherent and sitting up, Sager didn’t mince her words. “I’m a redhead. I’m different.”
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