BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — Massachusetts General Hospital released a new study proving why redheads have a different pain tolerance.
The researchers found that "the pigment-producing cells of the skin—called melanocytes—contain a variant form of the melanocortin 1 receptor."
So, their findings confirm that redheads' skin cells do not function the same way as others.
"These findings describe the mechanistic basis behind earlier evidence suggesting varied pain thresholds in different pigmentation backgrounds," the director of Cutaneous Biology Research Center at Massachusetts General Hospital Dr. David E. Fisher said.
These cells are the same reason why people with red hair burn so easily and cannot tan.
Fisher said this study will help create new medications to reduce and control pain.
Follow WBZ NewsRadio:Facebook|Twitter|Instagram|iHeartmedia App
(Photo: Getty Images)