In Honor of Beards

In honor of No Shave November (or Movember depending on your style), millions of men are taking on the challenge of raising awareness for men's health by not shaving for the month of November. Even our IHS office in East Greenbush NY has a team of die-hard beard growers who are raising money for this cause.

This post is part of a two-part series. The previous blog discussed the importance of raising awareness for men's health and the second post will discuss the importance of growing a beard.

First off, fun fact: hormones called androgens stimulate vellus hair (light, soft body hair) to darken and coarsen. This hormone is higher in men causing their hair growth to change more than women's. This is why men can grow beards and women can't*. Also, the rate/thickness of facial hair is determined by genetics.

Research shows that growing a beard has many benefits and a long history of prestige and power. Since the first humans, a man's beard was a symbol of power, sexual virility, and social status. Throughout history beards have been used to show maturity and experience. Various cultures, such as the Egyptians, used the beard to symbolize kinship. Here is a fascinating historical overview of the beard.

Besides showing everyone how strong and powerful the wearer is, beards also function to protect the skin from the environment. According to a study done by the University of Southern Queensland in Australia, beards block 90 to 95 percent of ultraviolet rays from making contact with facial skin, leading to lower rates of skin cancer in that area. This also means beards keep the face wrinkle free since the sun causes up to 90 percent of the visible signs of aging.

This wrinkle free skin will also be clear of blemishes. Acne and hair-follicle inflammation are oftentimes the result of shaving. Beards prevent men from rubbing the natural moisturizing oil off the face and protects against winds, preventing redness and dryness.

Beards have this strange way of keeping men's skins looking younger, while making them look older. Beards have been shown to age a man as much as 8-10 years. This may also correspond to the fact that the more facial hair a man has, the more masculine both men and women perceive him to be. According to a study published in Evolution and Human Behavior, facial hear strongly influences people's judgments of men's socio-sexual attributes. There are some nuances to this statement (the study took into effect when the women were in their menstrual cycle and the amount of facial hair) but the overall theme is that "beardedness" affects judgments of male socio-sexual attributes and suggests that an intermediate level of beardedness is most attractive while full-bearded men may be perceived as better fathers who could protect and invest in offspring.

So I know November has started already, but it's not too late to start growing your beard! Besides all the benefits listed above, you will be part of a movement to raise awareness for men's health.

For more information on beards check out this article. To support men's health month check out the Movember page.

*Some women have higher levels of androgen and testosterone causing an increased amount of darkened body hair.