A doctor has shared a gross warning about kissing people with facial hair, explaining how it can lead to nasty infections - and no, it's not just because of the 'friction'.
Dermatologist Muneeb Shah, known as the Derm Doctor on TikTok, regularly shares skincare tips and tricks with his 17.9 million followers, whether it’s how to reduce dark circles and puffiness or how to hydrate severely dry skin.
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In a recent post, he issued a warning about beards after sharing an example of someone’s painful skin condition after kissing someone with one.
Shah responded to a video from another TikToker, who – with her face in her hands – said: “Kisses a guy with facial hair thinking it was a good idea at the time.”
The video then cuts to images of her chin, which is covered in painful-looking red spots.
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In his response, posted last year, Shah warned: “PSA: Clean your beards.”
The skin expert explained that facial hair can contain a lot of bacteria – which isn’t great if it gets into the skin.
“Beards carry a tonne of bacteria,” he said.
“And when you rub up against them they create tiny little cuts in the skin, which can lead to infections like impetigo.”
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According to the NHS, impetigo is a skin infection that's 'very contagious but not usually serious'.
"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."
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If you think you've got impetigo, you're advised to visit your GP, who can prescribe antibiotic cream to speed up your recovery - or antibiotic tablets if it's very bad.
Shah's clip racked up 1.4 million likes, while also prompting a debate about beard hygiene in the 10,000-strong comments section.
One TikToker said: “Who????? Who doesn’t clean their beard??!?”
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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 came forward to say they’d fallen victim to the same issue, saying in shock: “I THOUGHT IT WAS FRICTION WHEN IT HAPPENED TO ME!!!”
As well as the sheer horror, however, there was some hope.
A number of blokes stepped up to reassure us 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.”
Another bearded fella said: “I comb and wash daily, and when I see anything in it... I wash again.”
Jess Hardiman