To most Americans, St. Patrick’s Day conjures the image of the Irish leprechaun with red hair, drinking a pint of beer and sitting next to a pot of gold underneath a rainbow. For some individuals, this day commemorates the arrival of the Christian faith in Ireland, while celebrating Irish heritage and culture. The social science and medical research of the origins of the red-headed Irish leprechaun, however, produces attention-grabbing historical and cultural preconceptions, interesting genetic facts and knowledge.
Historically, in certain countries and cultures, being a redhead was considered a “bad” genetic trait. Certainly, on television and in many movies, the trait is associated with bullying and strong-willed, mischievous individuals (“Dennis the Menace,” for example). In England, “Gingerphobia” is a term used to describe fear of redheads, and “Gingerism” is the bullying of or prejudice against redheads.
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In ancient Egypt, men with red hair were burned alive, yet Cleopatra was thought to have been a redhead. The early Greeks believed redheads would turn into vampires. In medieval Europe, it was estimated that up to 45,000 redheaded women were killed for alleged witchcraft. Even Aristotle considered, ” the reddish are of bad character.”
There are also some interesting medical facts about redheads indicating that they tend to be left-handed and less sensitive to absorption of vitamin D. Interestingly, a 2013 British Journal of Cancer study found that redheaded men have 50 percent lower rates of prostate cancer than those of their counterparts with other-colored hair.
But if you ask an Irishman whether they would change their red hair color, they would not only boast of the unique qualities of their follicles, but even more so of their hair color’s connection to their Irish heritage and background.
The medical science of red hair is equally peculiar and interesting to me as a hair restoration surgeon. On average, natural red hair has a greater cross-sectional diameter, thus it is thicker than most dark-hair hair follicles. The downside, though, is that brunettes have a total of 140,000 follicles in their scalp, compared with blondes (110,000 follicles) and redheads (90,000). Finally, in regards to hair balding and appearance, there are no clinical studies demonstrating redheads have a greater or lesser rate of balding patterns of the scalp than compared to the general population.
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Red hair is a recessive trait, which means that a child inherits one red hair gene from mom and dad. Red hair is associated with fair skin because of low concentrations or the absence of a melanin, called eumelanin (dark brown and black pigment). The etiology of red hair and fair skin is secondary to the mutation of the melanocortin 1 receptor, or MC1R gene, found on chromosome 16. The mutation blocks the production of eumelanin, which is usually associated with darker skin and hair colors. As a result of this gene mutation, increased concentrations of another type of melanin called pheomelanin (red and blond pigments), results in auburn, strawberry blonde or pure red hair.
People who have the MC1R recessive variant gene when exposed to the sun’s UVA and UVB rays can quickly develop sunburns. Also, when exposed to the sun’s ultraviolet UVB radiation, the pheomelanin found in the skin of redheads results in the production of freckles, which are common in light-skinned people.
The prevalence of the MC1R chromosome alleles are highest in Scotland, where 13 percent of the population have red hair. Ireland is second highest, with approximately 10 percent possessing it and 40 percent carrying the gene. But the MC1R mutation can be found all over the world, from the Caribbean and West Indies, South America and Polynesia to the African continent and even Asian countries.
It’s estimated that only around 2 percent of the world’s population has natural red hair, and the genetic marker for red hair is found not just in Ireland, but in many countries and ethnicities. A genetic oddity and rare occurrence in nature, the individual expression of those individuals with this distinctive trait can be traced to all corners of the world and continents.
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On a personal level, I love the Irish people and country. Despite the human history of prejudice, myths and social taboos associated with red hair, we honor and acknowledge the cultural heritage of Ireland; the patron saint of Ireland, St. Patrick; and all the redheads of the world who impact our lives. Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
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Genetics: the Common Thread of Redheads, St. Patrick, Vampires and Culture originally appeared on usnews.com
