Proud Redhead

by Shannon
(Florida)

I'm 18 years old (almost 19) and I absolutely love being a redhead. A lot of those things up there are true, to be honest. I've looked into it a lot. Red hair is a sort of mutation. A mutation of the melanocortin 1 receptor (MC1R) which is the common factor that determines hair and skin color.

As for being more sensitive towards pain, we are. It is actually very common for redheads to be terrified of the dentist (I know I am) because we don't take to pain medication as well as other people, because of the mutation. They had to give me three full doses of anesthetics and the mask just to put me half way down for surgery. A recent study from the University of Louisville determined that redheads really do require more anesthesia during surgery. (Via divinecaroline.com). I get all my facts from that link and honestly, a lot of it makes sense.

The only thing negative about being a redhead, is the dislike for a fake redhead. No redhead likes a fake redhead; we are unique and we enjoy getting all our unique credit. lol

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NOTE by Deb at RR: If my readers want more info about some of the issues mentioned here by Shannon, visit my "Genes" page and also my "Hair" page as well!