5 Disadvantages Of Beards You Should Know Before You Grow One

To beard or not to beard — it seems like a pretty straightforward question. After all, what variables are there beyond what looks good and feels comfortable? We hate to break it to you, but the matter of facial hair may be more complex than you expect. Yes, a slick goatee may look a little villainous, and a thick mustache can leave you resembling an erstwhile cast member from "CHiPS," but even these pop culture associations are only the tip of the iceberg. Science itself weighs in on the beard debate with factors like perceived aggression and professionalism. Heck, your beard can even communicate a lot about your desirability as a partner,

All this is to say that the decision to cultivate facial hair should not be taken lightly. From determining how old you look to leaving an open door for certain health problems, your hypothetical beard comes with a few potential disadvantages to consider before going full mountain man.

We all have to grapple with aging and mortality at some point, but that may be more gravitas than you're trying to give your facial hair. Unfortunately, it seems that beards are inextricably entwined with our perception of maturity. A 2012 study published in Behavioral Ecology asked both men and women to guess the age of photographed subjects, shown with and without facial hair. Both the male and female participants judged subjects with facial hair to be older, even between photos of the same person.

Now, this could be seen as an advantage if you want to lend some maturity to your baby-faced look. It's up to you to weigh whether the visual addition of extra years is a pro or a con, beard-wise. And if you want to keep the facial hair but tone down its aging effect, you can always try tweaking the color or style. Beards that are long, graying, or unkempt may give your face an even older feel, so consider dyeing, trimming, or reshaping your scruff as needed.

They say you should never judge a book by its cover, but as humans, we can't help but leap to certain conclusions when we observe each other. Facial hair is hardly exempt. On the contrary, your beard secretly sends signals to the people around you, including a sense of aggression and competition. This impression may not be accurate — you could be the nicest, most marshmallowy person in your neighborhood. But science reveals that facial hair might drive onlookers to find you more threatening.

On top of its age findings, the aforementioned article in Behavioral Ecology discovered that "beardedness appears to signal elevated social status, dominance, and the communication of aggressive intent." A 2016 study in Evolution and Human Behavior goes a step further, hypothesizing that this perception is caused by added emphasis on male features — specifically, beards amplify the shape and size of a man's lower face and jaw, communicating more masculinity and, by proxy, aggression. Even if you try to downplay the effect with friendly smiles, a 2022 study in Scientific Reports suggests that facial hair could make it harder for people to detect your happy expressions.

Granted, perceived aggression is another factor that could be positive if you're trying to project a dominant, go-getter demeanor in your career or social life. But you can definitely go too far in the other direction, so just be thoughtful in how you proceed — not only measuring whether to grow a beard at all but also how much beard you want to bring to the table.

Most of us realize that there are things you shouldn't wear to work or a job interview. But did you know that beards have historically been problematic in some workplaces? Centuries ago, beards were a common sight in many cultures, but they eventually fell out of vogue for the hardworking, trustworthy professional.

Think about the clean-shaven businessmen of the 1950s, with their crisp suits and bare chins. It was only in the '60s that facial hair began to bounce back, but it was associated with the freewheeling hippie movement — hardly what employers at the time would view as reliable hires. Many military branches, law enforcement agencies, and other groups even banned full beards. It was only in 2024 that the British Army finally lifted its beard ban, undoing a precedent that lasted more than 300 years. The idea that beards are somehow unprofessional hasn't been limited to written rules, either — there are many examples of a silent beard bias in action. For instance, prior to J.D. Vance, it had been over 100 years since a U.S. president or vice president wore facial hair while in office. There hadn't even been a bearded presidential candidate in eight decades, and whiskers remain a rare sight in other political arenas. A negative idea has seemingly permeated into the unspoken guidelines of public office: that a beard is damaging to electability.

Granted, this anti-beard stigma is slowly shifting in modern workplaces. In employee handbooks, facial hair often falls under the vague corporate auspices of "grooming" or "hygiene," so depending on where you work, rocking a beard could be possible as long as you keep it well-maintained. As for what constitutes "well-maintained," well — you'll have to take that up with your H.R. department.

Many people contemplating facial hair are first and foremost thinking about how the addition of scruff will impact their image. But your look isn't the only thing affected by the advent of a beard — all that extra body hair could also play a role in your health by harboring all manner of microorganisms.

One 1967 study in Applied Microbiology compared how beards exposed to contagious pathogens retained germs compared to bare skin. Results suggested that bare skin was easier to clean, with washed facial hair retaining more germs than washed skin. A much more recent 2022 study in Medicine (Baltimore) also found that bearded healthcare workers shed bacteria at a higher rate than their beardless peers. Another small study in European Radiology, this one from 2018, even suggests that human beards carry more bacteria than the fur of a dog.

While these assertions sound pretty bad, they don't have to be absolute deal-breakers for the beard-curious. It's important to acknowledge that a certain amount of beard bacteria is normal, and in an everyday setting, basic upkeep is enough to keep facial hair safe and hygienic. And being fresh-faced doesn't necessarily equate to cleanliness — not only did that same study in Medicine (Baltimore) find that beard hair actually doesn't enhance the general threat of bacterial colonization, but shaven participants were actually more prone to some pathogens. In short, how well you clean and care for your face is more crucial to hygiene than what you're growing on it.

Even if your facial hair probably isn't housing any more bacteria than the next clean-shaven guy, it turns out that beards can still contribute to some annoying and sometimes awkward health problems. For one, beards can trap oil, dead skin cells, and otherwise harmless bacteria close to the skin, contributing to acne breakouts. In the same vein, facial hair can experience a buildup of common Malassezia yeast, resulting in beard dandruff.

Beards also aren't immune to problems that usually plague hair elsewhere on your body. For instance, a fact sheet from the Glasgow branch of the U.K.'s National Health Service reveals that it's totally possible to suffer from a beard-based lice infestation. We'll just let that sink in: Lice. On your face.

We will say that beard lice seems to be a pretty rare occurrence, if the pros at LiceDoctors are to be believed. But it's up to you whether the risk — and that of all the other health and image problems we've listed — is worth it. Worse comes to worst, you could always give your beard a chance and then shave it all off if it's not working for you and your lifestyle.