Study
reveals reason women are more sensitive to pain than men
ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. - For centuries, it has
been generally believed women are the more sensitive gender. A
new study says that, when it comes to pain, women are in fact
more sensitive. According to a report published in October's
Plastic and Reconstructive SurgeryŽ, the official medical journal
of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS), women have
more nerve receptors, which cause them to feel pain more intensely
than men.
"This study has serious implications about how we treat women
after surgery as well as women who experience chronic pain,"
said Bradon Wilhelmi, MD, ASPS member and author of the study.
"Because women have more nerve receptors, they may experience
pain more powerfully than men, requiring different surgical techniques,
treatments or medicine dosages to help manage their pain and make
them feel comfortable."
According to the study, women averaged 34 nerve fibers per square
centimeter of facial skin while men only averaged 17 nerve fibers.
Despite psychosocial expectations for men to be tougher than women
when feeling pain, these findings illustrate that women's
lower pain tolerance and threshold are physical.
"Eighty-seven percent of the 9.2 million cosmetic surgery
procedures performed last year were on women," said Dr. Wilhelmi.
"The ability to minimize pain often affects a patient's
perception of their results. We hope this data will give new perspective
on how to better treat post-operative pain in women."
Currently, 15 to 20 percent of the U.S. population suffers from
acute pain, says Dr. Wilhelmi, while 25 to 30 percent suffer from
chronic pain.
