Report Says Redheads More Sensitive to Pain

Redheads may have another trait that makes them stand out -- sensitivity to pain, specialists report. People with natural red hair need about 20% more anesthesia than people with other hair colors, Dr. Edwin Liem of the University of Louisville in Kentucky told a meeting of anesthesiologists. The unexpected finding not only suggests that redheads are more sensitive to pain, but offers insights into how anesthesia works in people.

“Red hair is the first visible human trait, or phenotype, that is linked to anesthetic requirement,” Liem said. “In a nutshell, redheads are likely to experience more pain from a given stimulus and therefore require more anesthesia to alleviate that pain.”