LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA — A medical professional has issued a stark warning regarding the potential health risks associated with kissing individuals who have beards. Dr. Myro Figura, an anesthesiologist from Los Angeles, highlighted on Instagram that unhygienic beards can harbor bacteria, leading to infections and skin irritation.
“Kissing somebody with a beard can cause an infection? It sure can,” Dr. Figura explained. “If not clean, the beard can harbour a lot of bacteria like staph and strep and when kissing the beard can cause breaks in the skin, allowing bacteria to enter and cause an infection called impetigo.”
Impetigo, while contagious, is generally not considered a serious condition. According to the NHS, it manifests as red sores or blisters, which may be less visible on darker skin tones.
“The sores or blisters quickly burst and often leave crusty, golden-brown patches,” the NHS states. “The patches can look a but like cornflakes stuck to your skin, get bigger and spread to other parts of your body, be itchy and are sometimes painful.”
Treatment options range from hydrogen peroxide cream for localized infections to antibiotic creams or tablets for more widespread cases.
The warning sparked significant reactions on social media, with many expressing shock and confirming their aversion to beards due to such infection risks.
Comments ranged from preferences for “clean shaven” looks to disbelief that men might neglect beard hygiene.
In a separate, equally concerning development, scientists have issued a warning about the potential for the herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) to reach the brain through nasal transmission during oral sex.
Research conducted at the University of Chicago suggests that HSV-1 can enter the brain via the nasal cavity, potentially leading to inflammation and complications like brain damage and dementia.
Professor Deepak Shukla, who led the research, stated that “any position that makes it possible for someone’s nose to come into contact with HSV-1 particles from a person who is actively shedding the virus is a risk.”
HSV-1, which affects nearly four billion people globally, is typically transmitted through direct contact with active sores or saliva. However, the study in mBio revealed that the enzyme heparanase (HPSE) can exacerbate inflammation when HSV-1 enters the brain through the nose.
While HSV-1 infections leading to brain inflammation (herpes simplex encephalitis or HSE) remain rare, the research highlights a previously underappreciated pathway for the virus to potentially cause serious neurological complications.
