Beards a boon for men's health

Beards may never have gone away per se but they are certainly back in vogue.

The number of bearded celebrities to walk the red carpet at this year's Baftas in London, including Ben Affleck, George Clooney and Hugh Jackman, was confirmation enough of the burgeoning trend for facial fuzz.

Such was the cult status of actor Jon Hamm's beard that New York Magazine honoured it with its very own obituary when he shaved it off.

Celebrity comparisons aside, men arguably grow hair on their face for three reasons: laziness, vanity, or in compensation for a lack of the stuff up top.

Now there's another reason for males to discard the razor.

Researchers at the University of Southern Queensland have found beards are also a boon for men's overall health.

Professor Alfio Parisi, whose study of facial hair was published in the Radiation Protection Dosimetry journal, found that beards block 90 to 95 per cent of harmful UV rays, thereby slowing the ageing process and reducing the risk of skin cancer.

Correctly applied sunscreen has a UV protection factor of 30 plus.

Professor Parisi discovered facial hair can have a UV protection factor of 21.

“While beards will never be as sun-safe as sunscreen, they certainly are a factor in blocking UV rays," Professor Parisi said.

The researchers conducted the study by leaving mannequin heads out in the scorching Queensland sun, some with full beards, some with partial facial hair and some completely bald-faced.

The mannequins were regularly rotated to face different directions and the UV exposures to each head were measured.

Yet, medical reason, or no medical reason, we all know a beard screams one thing and one thing only: "I am a red-blooded man."



Read more: http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/beards-a-boon-for-mens-health-20130328-2gx1i.html#ixzz2OvXM6RrA

Depends on how I'm feeling. Sometimes I feel like letting my beard grow, other times I prefer to be clean shaven

As a general rule i am clean shaven but I have grown a beard and a moustache at different times

Depends entirely on the person and whether or not they can actually pull off a beard properly.

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Clean shaven, i start to itch after 3 days.

3 day growth will itch, then it stops after 4.

Clean shaven - David Tennant stubble, only because I can't grow one evenly.

Clean shaven because I can't grow a beard. I get facial hair, but it's incredibly sketchy and very hard to see due to my blonde hair.

I personally prefer clean shaven guys.

Tis thread is full of boys. Once you become men, you will require a beard.

Inb4 people (probably Afro) say you're not a real man.

EDIT: To late :lol:.

Edited by milan_7: 30/3/2013 12:04:03 PM

Being clean shaven just doesn't feel right. I only properly shave when I'm attending something important. Otherwise I just use hair clippers to trim when the beard hair (usually on my neck) starts to curl over on its self and scratches the skin making it overly itchy.

Beards were never out.

You just gotta keep shaving to make it thicken up.

Clean or electric shave. If I even attempt to get something going it looks horrendous.

Dirty beards are definately in in the age bracket of 18-24.

I love having a beard, being clean shaven in that age bracket makes you look like a boy.

Unfortunately my boss hates them so i try shaving sunday nights and get away with it until the weekend comes up :twisted:

The funniest thing is because they don't shave them, they don't thicken up so they're condemned to having dirty bears for the next 20 years :lol:

I have a beard because I'm not a pussy.

-PB

I am a bit worried how much you know about my facial hair;)

I grow my mo in winter cos I wear beanies and they look sick together.

I'll be a beard man for sure in a few years, but I don't even want to attempt it until the facial hair is thick enough.

Nothing is worse that kids who grow that one patch on their chin. Or just have over grown bum fluff.

I'd have the 3rd reich back if we could get rid of all those people.

I masturbate to it nightly.

Living and working in St Kilda I have to deal with those kinds of people regularly. I second this notion. Though I'm glad I don't live/work in Brunswick.

I've always wondered why people relate facial hair to being a real man? i've always prefered clean shaven or at the most an erol flynn Pin line moustache (for that swav dapper look) Beards and moes on most men have you looking like either a hollywood wannabe or the unibomber.

As soon as I was out of high school I had a flavour saver, had a beard at uni, goatee at my first first office job. Have done it all except a pure neck-beard.

I've had my full beard for the last 10 years, my kids haven't seen me shaved. I've always kept it neat rather than going to the style Zach Galifianakis wears.

It was interesting in New York a few times when beards weren't the rage. I was there for the first anniversary of Sept 11, and by coincidence a few years later I was there for another Sept 11 anniversary. I did get strange looks being a young guy with a beard, walking through the lobby of the 5-star hotel.

It's definitely more common now to see people in business, sport & entertainment wearing beards.

I have a beard because I can. It also keeps my face warm. GF loves it too.

Chicks always complain about it being prickly but in the end they go for it anyway :lol:

Do you have a trimmer for that or shave every couple of days?

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As soon as I can grow a sick beard, I will.

I guess nobodies perfect...