A survey by New Mexico TV station KOAT-TV evaluated germ swabs from a “handful of brave men” for a test of their facial hair’s cleanliness, only to find that a man’s beard might be carrying as much bacteria as a toilet, according to the NY Daily News.
However, the recently released study has reportedly been questioned as many have been wondering how many people the news station sampled and how many of them actually turned out to be as dirty as feces.
There was no “proper” team of microbiologists in the course of the recent survey, according to The Guardian.
“[The TV station could have taken] a more responsible approach to the story, which would be to pursue a more rigorous scientific investigation before making any sweeping conclusions,” wrote Steven Wilson of beard appreciation and education website beards.org in an email.
A study similar to this has done before.
Last year, 408 male hospital workers with and without facial hair participated in a study that reportedly found “similar” bacteria colonization rates were discovered in men with and without beards. Some bacteria reportedly showed up more frequently in the clean-shaven men than in those with beards, according to the research published in the Journal of Hospital Infection.
The survey that was conducted by the TV station reportedly found that bacteria comparable to that in toilets was discovered in “several” of the beards.
“These are the kind of things you’d find in feces,” Quest Diagnostics’ John Geologic stated.
“It certainly shows a degree of uncleanliness that could be somewhat disturbing.”
At the end of the day, it’s imperative for men to keep their beards as clean as possible.
“The main lesson to be learned is that the regular practice of proper personal hygiene is always a good idea and that includes one’s beard,” wrote Wilson.
