Table Of Content
- Redheads have a higher rate of gynecological cancers
- How to Use Hair Lightener for Sun-Kissed Highlights Without Bleach
- Are red-haired, blue-eyed people going extinct?
- Another reason red hair is so rare
- What are the chances my child will have red hair and blue eyes?
- Other genes that play a role in eye color

The UVB rays interact with a protein in a person’s skin (7-dehydrocholesterol, or 7-DHC) and activate a process to convert the protein into vitamin D3. There are a lot of interesting facts about people who have red hair. So in honor of World Redhead Day, VERIFY is fact-checking three fast facts about redheads. "This is why redheads can range from strawberry blonde, brownish auburn hair or flaming red tresses." Your husband has a shot of passing on the red hair version, r.
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Redheads have a higher rate of gynecological cancers

The good news for the recessive traits of both red hair and blue eyes is that many more people carry the genes than we can see. Most (natural) redheads will have brown eyes, folloed by hazel or green shades. It’s a fact that the combination of red hair and green eyes is rare.
How to Use Hair Lightener for Sun-Kissed Highlights Without Bleach
This mutation affected the OCA2 gene, whichregulates the production of melanin in the iris. As a result, individuals withthis mutation have less melanin in their irises, leading to the appearance ofblue eyes. The combination of red hair and blue eyes is the rarest color combination of all for human beings. Around 17 percent of people have blue eyes, and when combined with 1-2 percent having red hair, the odds of having both traits are arund 0.17 percent.
Are red-haired, blue-eyed people going extinct?
But the genetics of eye color is more complicated than recessive or dominant traits (via Pigment Cell & Melanoma Research). The complex nature of genes and protein interactions is keeping the secrets behind these traits all knotted up. While they may display the dominant genes, they still have — and can pass to their kids — the recessive genes. For example, two brown-haired, brown-eyed parents can have a child with blonde hair and blue eyes. Though hair color is influenced by multiple genes, in general, dominant genes win out in a head-to-head matchup against recessive genes.
There are some people with red hair whose MC1R gene has no DNA changes. And there are some DNA changes in only one copy of MC1R that appear to cause red hair even when the other copy has no changes. These sorts of things happen often enough that it probably isn't due just to new mutations in their eye color genes. There are probably genes we just don't know about that are involved in eye color. It means that you will always pass a blue eye version (b) and that your husband will pass one onto his kids half the time. OK, so we know you are for sure bb (both copies are blue); that is the only way to get blue eyes.
Facts About Red Hair And Blue Eyes
Anisocoria occurs when someone has two different pupil sizes. The larger the pupil, the more black there is in the center of the eye. This isn't an eye color, but it can make someone look like they have heterochromia. Researchers have identified at least nine other genes involved in the production and distribution of pigments. For example, the HERC2 gene turns the OAC2 gene on and off as needed.
What are the chances my child will have red hair and blue eyes?
Jasmine Sanders's blue eyes and medium skin tone are complemented beautifully by her caramel-blond hair color. “Melanin works as a shock absorber, protecting you from ultraviolet light. In redheads, the MC1R gene mutates and causes melanocytes to primarily make the reddish pigment pheomelanin. And because redheads have higher levels of pheomelanin, they’re more susceptible to damage from the sun. The same genetic trait that causes red hair also makes redheads more sensitive to ultraviolet (UV) light, according to UCI Health. But that sensitivity also allows redheads' bodies to produce more vitamin D, which is essential to bone development and good health.

The true pattern of inheritance of hair color is somewhat more complicated, though, as there are many genes involved. The hair, skin, and eye colors you’re born with are all controlled by your genes. Your parents passed these genes down to you, just as their parents passed down their genetic makeup to them.
Myths about people with red hair and green eyes
Thiscomplexity explains why eye color can vary within families, even if bothparents have blue eyes. If your husband is Gb, then each child has a 1 in 4 chance for blue eyes, a 1 in 4 chance for green, and a 1 in 2 chance for brown. If he is bb for the green-blue gene, then your kids have a shot at blue and a shot at brown eyes. A 2014 study concluded that women with light-colored eyes were better able to withstand pain during pregnancy than those with darker eyes. The sample size for this study was relatively small, including just 58 women, but another small study had similar results.
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The differences among the individuals arise due to variations in merely 0.1% of the whole genome. If you don't need corrective lenses, you can order some that are purely for looks. However, you should still see an eye-care professional and get a prescription for them. The American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) recommends never buying contact lenses that don’t require a prescription due to an increased risk of eye infections. Blue is the second most common and brown tops the list, found in 45% of the U.S. population and possibly almost 80% worldwide. The Cancer Council also advise monitoring skin for new spots or spots that change in shape, size or colour and to see your doctor as soon as possible to get checked out.
On the surface of melanocytes is a protein known as melanocortin 1 receptor, or MC1R. When it's activated, it causes melanocytes to specifically produce eumelanin over phenomelanin, which balances out an individual's ratio. In redheads in particular, the MC1R gene doesn’t function the correct way and causes these cells to make mostly pheomelanin, which is barely present in any of the other hair colors. Interestingly, the lack of melanin also puts redheads at a higher risk for skin cancer. The jury is still out on whether or not redheads have a stronger immune system. Some studies suggest that they may be more resistant to certain illnesses, while other studies are inconclusive.
And if your genes have given you both blue eyes and red hair? Well, you’re rocking the rarest hair color and eye color combination in humans. “Red hair and blue eyes are both recessive traits which means a person needs to inherit both of the genes for red hair and blue eyes, from both parents. In contrast, brown hair and brown eyes are dominant traits, which is why they are much more prevalent,” Elgar continued. Is the combination of red hair and blue eyes in one person really the rarest? Some say that it's as simple as them both being recessive genes and having a low prevalence in the world population.
Genes related to the production of pigments—melanin, eumelanin, and pheomelanin—dictate the color of your skin, hair, and eyes. A person's eye color reflects a unique combination and concentration of pigments in the iris. Redheads have a particularly high abundance of pheomelanin, with very little eumelanin, which ranges from brown to black.
According to an American Academy of Ophthalmology survey, green eyes are the rarest. Only 9% of Americans have green eyes, compared with 45% who have brown eyes and 27% who have blue eyes. While the MC1R gene is the dominant decider of hair color, it isn’t the only one. According to a 2018 study published in Nature, the OCA2 gene, which is important for eye color, also interacts with the MC1R gene and can reduce your likelihood of having red hair. There is some evidence that redheads may have a higher pain tolerance than people with other hair colors. One study found that redheads were less sensitive to stinging pain caused by capsaicin, the active ingredient in chili peppers.