I have red hair but I CAN tan. How?

tony c

Everything I've researched says its genetically not possible, the MC1r gene gives you red hair AND fair skin. Yet, I never burn and can tan and without a doubt have red hair. I've always been curious, if anyone has any ideas, I'd love to hear it. Thanks in advance.
Tony
Everything I've researched says its genetically not possible, the MC1r gene gives you red hair AND fair skin. Yet, I never burn and can tan and without a doubt have red hair. I've always been curious, if anyone has any ideas, I'd love to hear it. Thanks in advance.
Tony
-I've got hazel-green eyes.
-haha, i dont go tanning, i just wondered why i could tan when i'm outside. thanks a ton for the info, incredibly helpful stuff.

Answer
Actually, the mutation of the MC1R protein doesn't cause red hair. Red hair is caused by a gene on chromosome 16. One of the effects of this gene (besides giving red hair) is to cause a change to the MC1R protein.

This protein is found in the skin and eyes instead of high concentrations of melanin and is associated with fair skin and sensitivity to ultraviolet light. It can also cause freckles.

However, the mutation of the MC1R protein due to the gene on Chromosome 16 only occurs in about 80% of the redheads. There is no (or a different) mutation of this protein in the other 20%.

So if you are in that 20%, you could easily tan as the protein hasn't replaced the melanin in your skin. It might seem like you are a different kind of redhead, but really, you are just a minority in the redhead world. But you and those like you are still 20% of the redhead population.

Unfortunately, I'm a redhead WITH the mutated MC1R protein so I get sunburned when I open the blinds in the morning. However, my daughter, also with red hair, can sit in the sun all day long without burning...and in fact, tans.

Of course we don't let her because tanning is very bad for your health - you can develop skin cancer, no matter what your hair color, later in life. [as a parent just had to throw that in - it's in the job description]

If the father has blond hair and blue eyes, but the mother has red hair and gray eyes?

Tananda Tr

If the father has blond hair and blue eyes, but the mother has red hair and gray eyes?
What color hair and eyes will the kids have?

Answer
First a little science
Red hair is caused by a mutation on chromosome 16 which is thought to regulate about 3% of the DNA in the human body including pigment production.
This mutation alters the type of pigment that is produced.

In our bodies we have something called a melanin-activating peptide receptor (MC1R) which takes queues from the body chemicals and tells the cells in your hair, eyes and skin to produce the appropriate pigment.

If you get someone who has this mutated chromosome then the MC1R is sent a different signal to normal and essentially it is turned off so it isn't telling the hair, skin and eyes to produce a dark pigment like it normally would (brown or black eumelanin which causes dark hair, eyes and skin).

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Now why does this cause red hair?
Red hair is the result of brown hair acting under the influence of this mutated chromosome. It is essentially brown hair (which normally contains a mix of brown eumelanin, red phaeomelanin and a little yellow phaeomelanin) but the dark brown eumelanin has been turned off so it isn't being produced properly, auburn hair is the result of a partially active receptor and ginger hair is the result of a completely inactive receptor.
The person with red hair really carries the gene for brown hair but also carries the mutated chromosome.

This mutated chromosome is recessive and requires to copies to be seen as a phenotype acting on the hair, if there is only one copy of the chromosome then it is a genotype and has no effect on the hair color.

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Now back to your original question.
Because this mutation is rare and very recessive, the chances are that the child would inherit blonde or brown hair rather than red (unless red hair is known on both the mother and father's side in which case it's much more likely for the child to have red hair)
However they will carry the unseen and inactive mutation for red hair which could surface in later generations if matched with another carrier of the the same mutated chromosome.

A similar effect is happening with the eyes which are also influenced by this same mutated chromosome, grey eyes are recessive over blue and it's far more likely that the child would inherit blue.

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Red head people(ginger heads)....?

Sherminato

Where does the ginger hair come from?...is it only from ireland or can other europeans have it,spaniards,italians,british you get the point.

Also,if an american has ginger hair could we assume they have irish ancestors?

Answer
red hair occurs naturally on approximately 1â2% of the human population.[1] It occurs more frequently (2â6%) in people of northern or western European ancestry, and less frequently in other populations. Red hair appears in people with two copies of a recessive gene on chromosome 16 which causes a mutation in the MC1R protein.
Red hair varies from a deep burgundy through burnt orange to bright copper. It is characterized by high levels of the reddish pigment pheomelanin and relatively low levels of the dark pigment eumelanin. The term redhead (originally redd hede) has been in use since at least 1510.[2] It is associated with fair skin color, lighter eye colors (gray, blue, green, and hazel), freckles, and sensitivity to ultraviolet light.[3]
Cultural reactions have varied from ridicule to admiration; many common stereotypes exist regarding redheads and they are often portrayed as fiery-tempered.

In fact the USA, has the most red heads. It is estimated that 2â6% of the population has red hair. This would give the U.S. the largest population of redheads in the world, at 6 to 18 million, compared to approximately 650,000 in Scotland and 420,000 in Ireland.

The pigment pheomelanin gives red hair its distinctive color. Red hair has far more of the pigment pheomelanin than it has of the dark pigment eumelanin. So the more pigment pheomelanin the brighter your hair is.

Origins
Red hair is the rarest natural hair color in humans. The non-tanning skin associated with red hair may have been advantageous in far-northern climates where sunlight is scarce. Studies by Bodmer and Cavalli-Sforza (1976) hypothesized that lighter skin pigmentation prevents rickets in colder climates by encouraging higher levels of Vitamin D production and also allows the individual to retain heat better than someone with darker skin.[30] In 2000, Harding et al. concluded that red hair was not the result of positive selection and instead proposed that it occurs because of a lack of negative selection. In Africa, for example, red hair is selected against because high levels of sun would be harmful to untanned skin. However, in Northern Europe this does not happen, so redheads come about through genetic drift.[27]
Estimates on the original occurrence of the currently active gene for red hair vary from 20,000 to 100,000 years ago.[31][32]
A DNA study has concluded that some Neanderthals also had red hair, although the mutation responsible for this differs from that which causes red hair in modern humans.[33]

Red hair is a gene basically. It is in your DNA. You inherit it, it doesn't come from a particular place. Many think Scots or Irish are where you find the most red heads, but in fact it is the USA.

All from Wiki...Plus my brain...And other sites...Plus I saw some of it in a book. So I got it from various things.

If you have natural red hair, does that mean you carry the redhead gene?

~*~Lacey~*

If your hair is red, are you more likely to have a kid with red hair than someone who also carries the gene, but doesn't have red hair??

Answer
Red hair (also referred to as titian or ginger hair) varies from a deep orange-red through burnt orange to bright copper. It is characterized by high levels of the reddish pigment pheomelanin and relatively low levels of the dark pigment eumelanin. People with red hair are often referred to as redheads or gingers.

Approximately 1% to 2% of the human population has red hair. It occurs more frequently (between 2% and 6% of the population) in northern and western Europeans, and their descendants, and at lower frequencies throughout other parts of the world.

Red hair appears in people with two copies of a recessive gene on chromosome 16 which causes a mutation in the MC1R protein. This means that :-

(a) If you are red hair and married a person with red hair. You will have kids with red hair only.

(b) If you are red hair and marries a person with no red hair and do not carry the genes for red hair. All your kids will not have red hair.

(c) If you are red hair and marries a person with no red hair but they carry the genes for red hair. You might get some kids with red hair and some without red hair.

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Is red hair a mutation that can happen to anyone who is Caucasian or mixed or does it have a specific origin?

Q.

Answer
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_hair
red hair (also referred to as titian or ginger hair) varies from a deep burgundy through burnt orange to bright copper. It is characterized by high levels of the reddish pigment pheomelanin and relatively low levels of the dark pigment eumelanin. Approximately 1% to 2% of the human population has red hair. It occurs more frequently (between 2% and 6% of the population) in northern and western Europeans, and their descendants, and at lower frequencies throughout other parts of the world. Red hair appears in people with two copies of a recessive gene on chromosome 16 which causes a mutation in the MC1R protein. It is associated with fair skin color, lighter eye colors (gray, blue, green, and hazel), freckles, and sensitivity to ultraviolet light.
ORIGINS
Red hair is the rarest natural hair color in humans. The pale skin associated with red hair may have been advantageous in far-northern climates where sunlight is scarce. Studies by Bodmer and Cavalli-Sforza (1976) hypothesized that lighter skin pigmentation prevents rickets in colder latitudes by encouraging higher levels of Vitamin D production and also allows the individual to retain heat better than someone with darker skin. Estimates on the original occurrence of the currently active gene for red hair vary from 20,000 to 100,000 years ago. Red hair is caused by a relatively rare recessive gene, the expression of which can skip generations

http://www.purgatory.net/kornelia/1603/red_hair_facts.htm
Less than four percent of the world population has naturally red hair. That is less than two percent in America. The gene for Ginger hair was discovered in 1995 and this discovery got little attention. This is not consistent as red heads have gotten lots of it. Professor Jonathan Rees conducted a study of redheads at Edinburgh University.He identified the"gene for red hair" the melanocortin 1 receptor (MC1R), found on the 16th chromosome. He found that this single gene was responsible for red hair.
Red hair is a genetic mutation, and is seen on the heads of only four percent of people. Most of these exist in the U.K., the Republic of Ireland, and Australia. The highest percentage of natural redheads in the world is in Scotland (13%), followed closely by Ireland with 10%. In the US, about 2% of the population are natural redheads.
Red headedness is, genetically speaking, a recessive trait. It may appear after several generations of darker hair. Redheads do NOT turn grey. Red hair turned sandy, then white. They are also found to loose their color later in life than people carrying other hair colors.
The first human redheads walked this earth about 50,000 years ago in Africa and then spread throughout Northern Europe. The country name of Russia means "land of reds" in honor of a redheaded Viking by the name of Rurik.
The first redheaded British monarch was a woman. Boudicca was a Celtic warrior was led her people, the Icenti, against the Romans in the C.E. 60âs.
Belief that redheads are witches is a folk belief in Germanic culture. From 1483-1784 thousands of suspected witches were nearly always stripped and searched for âmarks of the devilâ. These included any âabnormalityâ such as freckles, moles, warts, and birthmarks. Red hair was certainly considered an abnormality. Considering the freckle factor for redheads this was a deadly and shocking horror. Somewhere around 45,000 women were tortured and murdered usually by burning at the stake or by drowning.

.http://hair.lovetoknow.com/Red_Hair
Genetics of Red Hair
Part of the allure of red tresses is its rarity: red is found in less than 4 percent of natural hair colors throughout the world. The majority of redheads are concentrated along the edges of both eastern and western Europe, most notably in Scotland, England, and Ireland; countries that have become easily associated with flowing auburn and ginger tresses. In the United States, less than 2 percent of individuals have naturally red shades of hair. The exclusivity of red is due to its genetic makeup: the red chromosome for hair color is a recessive gene, meaning that an individual must inherit the gene from both parents in order to have red locks of any shade.
Redheads have other genetic traits related to their hair color. Red is found predominantly on individuals with very fair skin who are typically more sensitive to ultraviolet radiation, meaning they sunburn easily, and their hair may also need additional radiation protectants. Each individual red strand is thicker than its blonde, black, or brunette counterparts, but redheads typically have up to 30 percent fewer strands on their heads, making hair loss and thinning a potential concern.

Is everyone with red hair related in some way to the Scottish and irish, for example Queen Elizabeth the first?

Hello

nicole kidman, ronald macdonald etc

Answer
NO.
= Red hair has also been found in Asia, notably among the Tocharians who occupied the northwesternmost province of what is modern-day China. Estimates on the original occurrence of the currently active gene for red hair vary from 20,000 to 100,000 years ago Red hair is the rarest natural hair colour in humans.
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The pale skin associated with red hair may be of advantage in far-northern climates where sunlight is scarce. Studies by Bodmer and Cavalli-Sforza (1976) hypothesized that lighter skin pigmentation prevents rickets in colder latitudes by encouraging higher levels of Vitamin D production and also allows the individual to retain heat better than someone with darker skin.
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= Red hair appears in people with two copies of a recessive gene on chromosome 16 which causes a change in the MC1R protein. It is associated with fair skin colour, freckles, and sensitivity to ultraviolet light, as the mutated MC1R protein is found in the skin and eyes instead of the darker melanin.
= Approximately 1% to 2% of the human population has red hair. It occurs more frequently (between 2% and 6% of the population) in northern and western Europeans, and their descendants, and at lower frequencies throughout other parts of Europe, Asia and Africa.
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The accepted theory is that human beings originally all had dark sking and dark hair. Characteristics like white skin and red hair were mutations which were useful to people at northern latitudes where the lack of sunlight made absorption of vitamin D difficult. White skin is basically a throwback to our prehuman ancestors that all have white skin under their fur.

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Red head people(ginger heads)....?

Sherminato

Where does the ginger hair come from?...is it only from ireland or can other europeans have it,spaniards,italians,british you get the point.

Also,if an american has ginger hair could we assume they have irish ancestors?

Answer
red hair occurs naturally on approximately 1â2% of the human population.[1] It occurs more frequently (2â6%) in people of northern or western European ancestry, and less frequently in other populations. Red hair appears in people with two copies of a recessive gene on chromosome 16 which causes a mutation in the MC1R protein.
Red hair varies from a deep burgundy through burnt orange to bright copper. It is characterized by high levels of the reddish pigment pheomelanin and relatively low levels of the dark pigment eumelanin. The term redhead (originally redd hede) has been in use since at least 1510.[2] It is associated with fair skin color, lighter eye colors (gray, blue, green, and hazel), freckles, and sensitivity to ultraviolet light.[3]
Cultural reactions have varied from ridicule to admiration; many common stereotypes exist regarding redheads and they are often portrayed as fiery-tempered.

In fact the USA, has the most red heads. It is estimated that 2â6% of the population has red hair. This would give the U.S. the largest population of redheads in the world, at 6 to 18 million, compared to approximately 650,000 in Scotland and 420,000 in Ireland.

The pigment pheomelanin gives red hair its distinctive color. Red hair has far more of the pigment pheomelanin than it has of the dark pigment eumelanin. So the more pigment pheomelanin the brighter your hair is.

Origins
Red hair is the rarest natural hair color in humans. The non-tanning skin associated with red hair may have been advantageous in far-northern climates where sunlight is scarce. Studies by Bodmer and Cavalli-Sforza (1976) hypothesized that lighter skin pigmentation prevents rickets in colder climates by encouraging higher levels of Vitamin D production and also allows the individual to retain heat better than someone with darker skin.[30] In 2000, Harding et al. concluded that red hair was not the result of positive selection and instead proposed that it occurs because of a lack of negative selection. In Africa, for example, red hair is selected against because high levels of sun would be harmful to untanned skin. However, in Northern Europe this does not happen, so redheads come about through genetic drift.[27]
Estimates on the original occurrence of the currently active gene for red hair vary from 20,000 to 100,000 years ago.[31][32]
A DNA study has concluded that some Neanderthals also had red hair, although the mutation responsible for this differs from that which causes red hair in modern humans.[33]

Red hair is a gene basically. It is in your DNA. You inherit it, it doesn't come from a particular place. Many think Scots or Irish are where you find the most red heads, but in fact it is the USA.

All from Wiki...Plus my brain...And other sites...Plus I saw some of it in a book. So I got it from various things.

If you have natural red hair, does that mean you carry the redhead gene?

~*~Lacey~*

If your hair is red, are you more likely to have a kid with red hair than someone who also carries the gene, but doesn't have red hair??

Answer
Red hair (also referred to as titian or ginger hair) varies from a deep orange-red through burnt orange to bright copper. It is characterized by high levels of the reddish pigment pheomelanin and relatively low levels of the dark pigment eumelanin. People with red hair are often referred to as redheads or gingers.

Approximately 1% to 2% of the human population has red hair. It occurs more frequently (between 2% and 6% of the population) in northern and western Europeans, and their descendants, and at lower frequencies throughout other parts of the world.

Red hair appears in people with two copies of a recessive gene on chromosome 16 which causes a mutation in the MC1R protein. This means that :-

(a) If you are red hair and married a person with red hair. You will have kids with red hair only.

(b) If you are red hair and marries a person with no red hair and do not carry the genes for red hair. All your kids will not have red hair.

(c) If you are red hair and marries a person with no red hair but they carry the genes for red hair. You might get some kids with red hair and some without red hair.

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