Are you prone to burning?
Those with red hair may be 100 times more susceptible to melanoma, the worst form of skin cancer, according to new research.
The results show mutations in a gene called MC1R – which cause red hair, fair skin and poor tanning ability – also set up skin cells for an increased risk of cancer upon exposure to UV radiation.
Around 13,000 Britons are diagnosed with melanoma each year and more than 2,000 a year die from the disease.
"Our findings provide a possible molecular mechanism as to why red-haired individuals harboring MC1R mutations are much more susceptible to UV-induced skin damage than individuals with darker skin," study researcher Wenyi Wei, of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, said in a statement.
Reported in the journal Molecular Cell, researchers said that the findings could lead to studies into new melanoma treatments, or ways of identifying highly at-risk individuals.
Tagged in Health Skin Cancer Sun Protection