Redheads might be more vulnerable to skin cancer because of the difference the sun may affect the human pigment, said scientists on Sunday.

Duke University chemistry professor John D. Simon, PhD, and colleagues studied structures called melanosomes from human hair. Melanosomes make melanin, which gives skin and hair their color.

The skin pigmentation of redheads is more prone to oxidation than the pigmentation of brunettes, Simon said at the American Chemical Society annual meeting in Washington, D.C.

"Activating oxygen can produce compounds called radicals that put oxidative stress on cells," Simon said in a prepared statement. "Such stress could ultimately lead to cancer and other diseases."

But Simon is very cautious of the result. "Whether or not this is important in what happens in cellular systems is an open question and the subject of future work," he said.

Source: Xinhua/agencies