Nothing says masculine like a scruffy beard – but did you know there were health benefits also to be derived from growing facial hair. MensXP brings you the seven benefits of growing beards. 1. Prevents Skin Cancer
�� Shutterstock Recent researches have shown that 95 per cent of UV rays from the sun are blocked by beards. Besides keeping the sun out of your face, this is also important as exposure to UV rays can cause cancer. The thicker the hair, the better! 2. Reduction Of Asthma And Allergy Symptoms
�� Shutterstock If you suffer from pollen or dust allergy or even asthma, facial hair actually help by working as a filter and prevent the allergens from settling. This is not much different from nasal hair. 3. Stay Young, forever!
�� Shutterstock Here’s your secret to naturally lessen signs of aging. With lesser sun exposure, you can actually continue to look younger – unlike the guys who do not go for beards. Paradox of sorts – beards make you look older, but actually keep you looking younger! 4. Stave Off Illness
�� Shutterstock So it might be summer now, but when it gets biting cold during fall or winter – the beard will keep you warm and can actually help you battle colds as well. The longer the beard, the better insulation you get! 5. Reduce Infections
�� Shutterstock You never have to worry about bacterial infections, ingrowths and folliculitis (infection of the hair follicles, causing spots) with a beard. These infections are occupational hazards of regular shaving. Be done with that, and be done with such problems as well! 6. Blemish-Free Skin
�� Bibhuti Bhattacharya When you do not have ingrowths, razor cuts and other such skin problems, you have a blemish-free skin. Keep the beard and the great skin, and forget about little nicks and cuts on your face. 7. Natural Moisture
�� Shutterstock The last thing about keeping beards is that you do not have to worry about dry skin. The hair keeps wind and cold air out, helping your skin battle dryness. Also the sebaceous glands help keep your skin moisturized better when you have a beard, because there is no way you are getting the moisture out of the beard. Whether you prefer a French beard like Johnny Depp or go all the way like Zach Galifianakis – beards are so much manlier than a hairless chin. And with these health benefits too! Source
From sprouting a little scruff to going straight-up Galifianakis, there's good reason to take a break from your razor this summer—and not just because it can speed up your morning routine. Research shows that growing a beard is actually the key to keeping you younger-looking, naturally moisturized, and cancer-free.
Here, five doctor-approved reasons to let your beard grow.
1. Sun Protection
According to recent research from the University of Southern Queensland, beards block up to 95 percent of the sun's UV rays, which can play a huge role in preventing basal-cell carcinomas (the most common form of all cancers). Key stats to know: Four out of five cases in men appear on the face, head, or neck and the sun is to blame for up to 90 percent of the visible signs of aging. So while facial hair won't keep your forehead from developing Jack Nicholsonesque creases, it will keep the bottom half of your face looking young.
2. Blemish-Free Skin
Forgoing the razor doesn't just hide blemishes—it actually prevents them. "Razor rash, acne, and folliculitis [hair-follicle inflammation] are often the result of shaving," says Shannon C. Trotter, D.O., a fellow of the Osteopathic College of Dermatology and a dermatologist at the Ohio State Wexner Medical Center. "Razors can irritate the skin or even spread bacteria, causing an infection of the hair follicle."
3. More Masculinity
There's a reason you'd never steal a lumberjack's lady: The more facial hair a man has, the more masculine both men and women perceive him to be, according to research published inEvolution and Human Behavior. If pure, unadulterated masculinity is what you're going for, let your beard hang low. If you're looking to impress the opposite sex, skip the razor for 10 glorious days in a row; the study found that's the length women find the most attractive.
4. Natural Moisture
You probably didn't know your face has its own built-in moisturizing regimen—it's called your sebaceous glands (oil glands for short) and, according to Trotter, it secretes a natural oil that keeps skin moisturized. A thick beard not only prevents you from rubbing it off of your face, it also protects the face from wind exposure, which leads to redness and dryness (just in case you were planning your next high-altitude climb).
5. Trapped Allergens
Your nose hairs trap more than you think they do. In addition to what you see in a tissue, nose hairs trap pollutants that could actually cause your body harm. So the more hair you have under your airways (read: the bigger your beard), the more pollutants you're snaring every day, according to Clifford W. Bassett, M.D., Allergy and Asthma Care of NY medical director. Just be sure to treat your beard like any other filter and wash it regularly.
Keep that beard in shape! Here's how to trim it: