Facial hair and luscious beards have long been a source of pride for many men. However, scientists have just made an unsettling discovery that will soon have men reconsidering their choice of facial adornment.
Researchers originally set upon the quest to discover whether dogs can transmit bacteria to humans who have facial hair, but somewhere along the way the study got a little side-tracked, and it was revealed that within the beards of men everywhere is a significantly higher amount of potentially dangerous bacteria than what is found even in the fur of dogs.
Gross, right?
The Swiss scientists at the Hirslanden Clinic in Switzerland made the discovery after taking swabs from the beards of 18 men aged 18 to 76, and the necks of 30 dogs, then compared the results. As it turns out, the dogs were cleaner than the men and had a lot less germs.
Professor Andreas Gutzeit, of Switzerland’s Hirslanden Clinic, told Daily Mail UK that, “The researchers found a significantly higher bacterial load in specimens taken from the men’s beards compared with the dogs’ fur.”
The study found all of the bearded men showed high microbial counts, but only 23 out of 30 dogs had high counts. The remainder had moderate levels.
And it looks like the study has ruffled some feathers, as a spokesperson for the Beard Liberation Front told media that the results are more about an irrational fear of beards than any true scientific evidence.
Regardless, this study may have men reaching for their razors a little more often from now on.
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