When it comes to facial hair on men, it is so much a preference as it is the ability to grow it. But a doctor is making a case for spotting a full bush on your face could actually be good for your health, beyond keeping your face warm in the winter.
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Keeps The Bugs Out
Dr Karan Rajan took to TikTok to explain some health benefits of having facial hair. The bearded medic started his message by saying that letting your facial hair grow for a while could be cleaner and safer than having no hair at all.
Basing his argument on a study that compared hospital workers with and without beards in 2014, Dr Rajan said:
It found that clean-shaven faces were three times more likely to carry MRSA. This may be because shaving creates micro abrasions which are perfect breeding grounds for these bacteria.
MRSA is a deadly bacterial superbug that is typically carried on the skin and inside the nostrils and throat. It can cause mild infections of the skin such as boils and impetigo, and is resistant to a number of antibiotics and extremely difficult to treat.
Soft, Moisturized Skin
According to the doctor, growing a beard could give you soft skin due to the protection it offers against ageing and sun exposure. Coupled with that, Dr. Rajan said, a beard keeps you from touching your face, keeping it moisturized.
But the beard also acts like a barrier to stop you constantly touching the skin around your face.This stops you accidentally rubbing off the oils produced by your sebaceous glands, which keep your skin oiled and moisturized.
Another benefit of facial hair is that it reduces the risk of sunburns and skin cancer, at least on the hair-covered areas.
There is evidence that having facial hair reduces UV light exposure by a third compared to clean-shaven faces. Although facial hair can lower the risk of skin cancers like melanoma, you shouldn't ditch the sun cream.
These claims contradict previous research that suggest that men with beards carry more germs than dogs, including deadly bacteria in their facial bush.
