Redheads have been warned that they are at increased genetic risk of skin cancer.

US researchers have found that the same genetic mutation that leads to people being born with red hair and fair skin may put them at greater risk of developing skin cancer.

A person's skin pigment is determined by the MC1R gene receptor, researchers said.

US researchers have discovered that the same MC1R mutation also leads to the development of an important cancer-causing pathway.

The research sheds some genetic light on how redheads are more susceptible to melanoma skin cancer, and may provide new information on preventing and treating this type of cancer.

The study demonstrated how the redhead gene mutation promotes a cancer-causing molecular pathway when a red-headed person is exposed to UV radiation.

The study, by researchers at  Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Boston University School of Medicine , was published in the journal Molecular Cell.