Beards have long been associated with manliness, wisdom, and badassery, but a microbiologist in New Mexico found they may also be as filthy as toilets.
A group of men in Albuquerque allowed their beards to be swabbed and tested by Quest Diagnostics microbiologist John Golobic as part of a KOAT-TV study.
The results: Golobic told the TV station that several of the tested beards contained normal bacteria, but some were comparable to toilets.
"I'm usually not surprised and I was surprised by this," Golobic said. "Those are the types of things you'd find in (fecal matter)."
None of the bacterial levels found were elevated enough to lead to illness. However, Golobic said, "There would be a degree of uncleanliness that would be somewhat disturbing."
So, what's the secret of poo-free face fur? Golobic recommends that men thoroughly scrub their beards and frequently wash their hands to cut down on the bacteria transfer.
"(Also), try to keep your hands away from your face, as much as possible," he added.