Good news gingers! It turns out there’s a huge benefit to having red hair

Think twice next time you make fun of someone for being ginger...

When the rest of us are old and grey, the redheads among us will apparently look young and spritely. Scientists believe they've made a discovery as to why some people manage to retain their youthful looks while others become heavy victims of father time and crows feet. They believe the secret lies with gingers according to a new study published in Current Biology. According to the study, carrying the gene known for giving red hair and fair skin is likely to make you look two years younger. We always knew they were hiding something... After studying the genes and faces of over 2,500 people, Erasmus University, Rotterdam found that those people carrying a variation of the MC1R gene looked about 24 months younger on average than those without the gene. The MC1R gene is responsible for providing people with red hair and skin that just can't tolerate more than mere seconds in sunlight, but as the MC1R gene varies so much, scientists have taken to calling it the "ginger gene"... Prof Manfred Kayser, told the BBC: "The exciting part is we actually found the gene, and that we did find the first means we will be able to find more. "It is exciting because this is a well known phenomenon that so far cannot be explained - why do some people look so much younger?" So end result is, gingers can rest easy knowing that they have discovered the secret for eternal youth while teenagers with red hair all over the world face palm at the thought of not getting into any nightclub for years to come.