EW! Bearded men have more bacteria in facial hair than dogs have in their fur, study finds

HOUSTON – Bearded men have more bacteria in their beards than dogs have in their fur, according to a study out of Switzerland.

Researchers from the Hirslanden Clinic took facial swabs from 18 men and the necks of 30 dogs, and compared the bacteria amount. The men were aged 18-76. The dogs were of various breeds.

Every man with facial hair had high counts of bacteria in their beards. Only 23 out of the 30 dogs had the same result. The other dogs tested recorded medium to low levels, according to the BBC.

"The researchers found a significantly higher bacterial load in specimens taken from the men's beards compared with the dogs' fur," Andreas Gutzeit, the professor behind the study, said. "On the basis of these findings, dogs can be considered as clean, compared with bearded men.”