Do blondes have more fun? Maybe, but they\u2019re also at greater risk for eye diseases than brunettes. And redheads? Get ready for pain in the dentist chair! Find out what your hair color means to your health\u2026<\/p>\n
If your dentist, ophthalmologist or dermatologist asks \u201cIs that your natural hair color?\u201d they\u2019re not being nosy. They probably have your health in mind.<\/p>\n
A decade’s worth of clinical studies show that there’s a strong link between a woman\u2019s natural hair color and her chances of developing diseases and disorders have been filling the pages of medical journals.<\/p>\n
The genes that give your hair a charcoal, chestnut, honey or amber hue also affect health conditions like Parkinson\u2019s, multiple sclerosis and endometriosis, says Cleveland Clinic geneticist Rocio Moran, M.D.<\/p>\n
That’s because “the melanocytes, or DNA, that produce hair pigment are controlled by genes that have roles in other processes in the body,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
What does your natural hue say about health? Read on for our experts color-by-color answers.<\/p>\n
Redheads
More sensitive to pain
Before plopping down in the dentist\u2019s chair, you might want to pop an ibuprofen (Advil). And make sure you remind the hygienist and dentist that you\u2019re a natural redhead.<\/p>\n
Ginger-haired people tend to be particularly resistant to local anesthetics used in dentistry, according to a 2009 Cleveland Clinic study. Besides making for a painful cleaning \u2013 not to mention root canal \u2013 that hypersensitivity to pain may lead to anxiety about dental procedures.<\/p>\n
Redheads may require up to 20% more local anesthesia (Novocain or other, similar pain-numbing drugs) than other colors, says the study\u2019s lead researcher, Cleveland Clinic anesthesiologist Daniel Sessler, M.D.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s because redheads\u2019 melanocortin-1 receptors (the DNA responsible for hair color) are malfunctioning. In fact, red hair itself is the result of a gene mutation.<\/p>\n
Painful procedures can lead women to avoid going to the dentist, says Sessler, who adds that this sensitivity also applies to surgical procedures. Redheads often require more general anesthesia then too.<\/p>\n
The best way to avoid unnecessary pain: Talk to your dentist before having any work done, says Sessler.<\/p>\n
\u201cEstablish a method [before the procedure], for example, raising a finger, to communicate discomfort, so additional pain-block medicine can be administered.\u201d<\/p>\n
Higher risk for Parkinson\u2019s
Redheads have nearly a 50% greater chance of developing Parkinson’s than people with other hair colors, according to a 2009 Harvard Medical School study. People with black hair have the lowest chance, followed by brunettes, then blondes, researchers found.<\/p>\n
The gene responsible for fiery hair hues is headquartered close to a gene that, if mutated, can increase the risk for Parkinson’s disease. And proximity can be all it takes to make one gene affect another.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe lighter the hair, the stronger the likelihood of developing the \u2018bad\u2019 variant of the Parkinson\u2019s gene,\u201d says Svetlana Kogan, M.D., an internist at Lenox Hill Hospital \u2013 and a natural redhead.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe found that [people] with a family history of melanoma had an increased risk of Parkinson\u2019s,\u201d says one of the Harvard researchers, Xiang Gao, M.D., Ph.D., instructor in medicine at Harvard Medical School and associate epidemiologist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.<\/p>\n
Because redheads face higher risk of melanoma, Parkinson\u2019s and melanoma \u201cmay share genetic components, most likely the genes related to pigmentation,\u201d Gao says.<\/p>\n
High-strung
Reds are often more anxious than other colors. That\u2019s because the same genetic factors that control melanin production (the DNA that gives hair its color) also affect how your body manages stress.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe genes responsible for the ability to produce anti-stress hormones live close to melanocortin-1 receptors,\u201d says Margaret Lewin, M.D., a New York internist.<\/p>\n
And sometimes the gene mutation that causes red hair can lead the anti-stress genes astray, too, and cause faulty production of anxiety-reducing hormones like pregnenolone. \u201cThe decreased production of anti-stress hormones leaves a redhead more likely to be stressed out,\u201d Lewin says.<\/p>\n
Blondes
Prone to eye issues
Buy UV-blocking shades, if you haven\u2019t already. Age-related macular degeneration, an eye disease that may cause blindness, strikes women more often than men, and blondes more than other hair colors.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe fairer your hair, the greater your risk,\u201d Kogan says. And if you have blue eyes too, you\u2019ve increased the odds.<\/p>\n
\u201cAlthough the exact link isn\u2019t fully understood, the lack of pigment to protect blondes\u2019 eyes from the sun\u2019s retina-damaging rays may be a cause,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
Greater chance of skin cancer
It\u2019s no secret that fair skin increases your chances of melanoma, but light hair is a risk factor too.<\/p>\n
Researchers at Harvard say that no matter your skin tone, blondes should never leave home without slathering on a full-spectrum UVA and UVB sunscreen with at least 30 SPF.<\/p>\n
\u201cBlondes produce less melanin, the cells that give your hair and skin its pigment. [It] can leave them especially sensitive to sunburns, sun damage and developing skin cancer,\u201d says dermatologist Joel Schlessinger, M.D., president emeritus, American Society of Cosmetic Dermatology and Aesthetic Surgery.<\/p>\n
And just because the sun isn\u2019t shining, that doesn\u2019t mean you\u2019re safe from its rays.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can get a nasty sunburn when it\u2019s partly cloudy too,\u201d Schlessinger says.<\/p>\n
Most likely to shine
Blondes always get credit for having all the fun, but now there\u2019s scientific proof that they\u2019re living it up with some of the shiniest hair too.<\/p>\n
Blonde hair has different characteristics than brunettes and reds, which allow it to reflect light better while still appearing to have a soft, warm tone, according to a 2009 study published in the Journal of Cosmetic Science.<\/p>\n
Brunettes
More likely to smoke
Dark-complected people are more susceptible to nicotine dependence, according to a 2009 Pennsylvania State University study.<\/p>\n
The melanin that gives your hair its chocolately color also slows your liver\u2019s ability to metabolize nicotine, making it stay in your system longer. That makes you more likely to become dependent on cigarettes, Lewin says.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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