Doctor has grim warning for anyone kissing men with facial hair
It's not just the friction - kissing someone with a beard can lead to a very infectious skin disease
Stefania Sarrubba
A dermatologist has issued a warning against kissing men with beards, explaining how unclean facial hair can lead to a skin infection.
TikTok dermatologist Muneeb Shah, known as the Derm Doctor on the social platform, has responded to a woman sharing pictures of her irritated skin after she kissed a man with a beard.
Her face in hands, the woman then showed her chin covered in red spots and joked that she thought it was a good idea in the moment.
While the woman believed she had a 'beard rash' caused by the friction of the hair against he skin, she was told that it was something more than that.
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Responding to the video, Shah urged everyone with a beard to clean it regularly to prevent the spread of bacteria.
These are the cause of an infection called impetigo, that's described by the NHS as 'very contagious but not usually serious'.
"Beards carry a tonne of bacteria," Shah said in his video.
"And when you rub up against them they create tiny little cuts in the skin, which can lead to infections like impetigo."
According to the NHS, impetigo gets better with treatment.
"It often gets better in 7 to 10 days if you get treatment," the NHS website says, adding: "Impetigo starts with red sores or blisters, but the redness may be harder to see in brown and black skin.
"The sores or blisters quickly burst and leave crusty, golden-brown patches."
If you think you've got impetigo, you should visit your GP, who can prescribe an antibiotic cream to speed up your recovery, with antibiotic tablets needed in more serious cases.
Meanwhile, Shah's clip, originally posted in 2022 and urging everyone to 'clean their beards', has sparked a debate about facial hair, with users sharing their experiences and some brave men coming forward to assure they're keeping their hair religiously clean.
One TikToker said: "Who????? Who doesn't clean their beard??!?"
Someone else wrote: "I didn’t know I could be less into facial hair than I was before, but here I am.”
Another added: "Swear some guys can’t do the bare minimum omg."
A fourth commented: "If he doesn’t clean even his beard, what else is he not cleaning?!"
One other said they'd fallen victim to the same issue, saying in shock: "I THOUGHT IT WAS FRICTION WHEN IT HAPPENED TO ME!!!"
A number of men shared that they're already making the right steps when it comes to facial hair care, with one saying: "I have had a beard for years. My partner has very sensitive skin and has NEVER had anything like this. I clean my beard religiously."