Growing a beard has been quite popular for men in recent years, as there has been a growing notion that a beard just raises the manliness or maturity of men, which is advantageous in social and career-related situations. By having a beard, men will be able to produce a great first impression for the people they meet, whether it will be their date or an important figure in the company they are working for. So, many young men are doing their best to grow and style their beards, as they believe that having substantial facial hair will make them mature and more intimidating from a social standpoint.
However, before you get into growing a beard yourself, you would need to understand the pros and cons of having one. Most men that have beards would typically only see the benefits of having facial hair without even thinking about the downsides to having it. The disadvantages of beards are mostly health-related, as there are certain factors that it brings to the body that may be dangerous for some people, especially those that have sensitive nose and skin. If you want to know if beards are good or bad for our health, we would need to discuss the benefits and drawbacks of having beards.
Health Benefits of Having a Beard
First, we should talk about the advantages of growing and maintaining a beard. Most of the health benefits that will be mentioned below are commonly found online, so you may have already read about them if you have been planning to grow a beard recently. So, let’s get started by discussing the first benefit of having a beard.
Provides UV Protection for Your Skin
Beards have an amazing ability to block UV rays that may get into the lower parts of your face. These UV rays that come from the sun may cause damage to your skin, which will eventually lead to sunburn or even skin cancer. The hairs of beards provide ample protection for some parts of your face’s skin, so you wouldn’t worry about getting sunburn on your face if you are just wearing a hat that can only cover the top parts of your head.
Acts as a Safety Net for your Nose and Mouth
Another health benefit of having a beard is that it works as a safety net for your nose and mouth since it can serve as a catcher for dirt, allergens, and other harmful elements that may get inside your throat and into your lungs. If you have severe nasal allergies, you can grow a beard to lessen the chances of allergens getting inside your nose. However, if you are planning to grow a beard to serve as a safety net, make sure that you clean or wash your beard properly so that the dirt and allergens that are stuck on it will be washed away.
Encourages You to Practice Personal Hygiene
Having a beard would just add one more body part that you need to take care of in the bathroom, and your beard may encourage you to practice personal hygiene and make it better. If you want a great-looking beard, you would need to follow a beard grooming routine, so you would need to be diligent in taking care of your beard for it to look nicer. Your diligence in maintaining the look of your beard may eventually influence your attentiveness in cleaning other parts of your body, thus allowing you to have better personal hygiene. Remember that your attractiveness in a social setting will not only be affected by your beard but also your body odor and the cleanliness of the visible parts of your body, like your face and hands. Practice personal hygiene to look good and feel good whenever you are outside.
Disadvantages of Beards to Our Health
When there are benefits to a certain object, event, or body part, there will usually be disadvantages to it. Beards are no exception, as they may also possess dangers that can cause problems for our bodies. Fortunately, these dangers can be deflected or prevented if we just practice personal hygiene regularly. Here are the disadvantages of beards to our health.
Can Cause Severe Allergies
If you have read the second benefit of having a beard in this article, you will already have an idea that beards can protect you against nasal allergies. However, that benefit can only occur if you wash your beard regularly because, if you don’t, then there is quite a high chance that a dirty beard will just worsen your allergies. If you don’t clean your beard, dirt and allergens will just continue to build up on the beard’s hairs, and these harmful elements would eventually get into your nose and cause severe allergies. Again, you can stop or prevent this disadvantage from occurring if you just wash your beard at least every day using a beard shampoo and other beard grooming products.
May Cause Skin Irritation
Not all of us are really used to having beards, so if you are trying to grow your beard, make sure that you won’t get irritated by the hairs that will grow on the lower parts of your face. When your beard gets long enough and you have sensitive skin, the hairs may just cause skin irritation, and the irritation may urge you to scratch your beard and accidentally damage your skin. Once your skin is damaged under the beard, this may cause infection and inflammation that may worsen if you don’t clean your beard properly. So, don’t try to grow a beard if you have sensitive skin on your face.
While there are true disadvantages to having beards, these downsides can still be prevented if you know how to correctly take care of your facial hair. Don’t forget to wash your beard consistently so that its benefits wouldn’t be affected by its drawbacks.