Chin up, gents

For men and women alike, the concept of facial hair is as contentious as it is admired. In some circles, the beard stirs up notions of wisdom, strength and virility, while in others, images of untidiness, lack of professionalism and all-round savagery rise to the fore.

Whether you stand over your sink every morning, clutching a razor with a face basted in shaving foam or opt for the ‘au naturale’ look, beards are the essence of masculinity and the topic of ‘beard health’ very rarely comes up in public conversation.

In some cultures around the world, the male beard holds important social and religious status – the longer and thicker, the better.

The corporate world, however, has led many men to opt for the daily pain of mowing their cheeky stubble.

There is a growing number of men in the business, entertainment and even political arenas who maintain neat, healthy and in a lot of cases, stylised beards of varying design as part of their image.

These ‘beardos’ include US secretary of state, John Kerry, celebrity ladies man George Clooney and rugby players like Willie le Roux.

The idea that beards play a role in regulating body temperature and protecting the skin from the sun is decades old, but is supported by dermatologist Valerie Randall, who said that the rate of growth of body hair changes from season to season and that men’s beards grow up to 60% faster in summer months.

One potential social drawback of wearing a beard is that it is thought to make men look more aggressive.

This was suggested by a 2012 study in Australia, where 200 men were shown images of bearded and clean-shaven guys with neutral facial expressions, and those with beards were deemed significantly more aggressive than their bare-cheeked counterparts.

If you are a proud ‘beardo’ keep your hairy chin up, because a growing contingent of men and women around the world are finding stubble highly in style, even if the numbers suggest a close shave between hair and bare.