Men who keep beards may have to reconsider that decision because the hair bush stores tonnes of bacteria, Ms Sylvia Darko, a Paramedical Aesthetician, has said.

Beards are becoming trendy among young Ghanaian men.

Some say the beards are a sign of maturity.

A producer at Class91.3FM, Nii Marmah, who keeps a beard, said it attracts respect.

“I receive a lot of respect from people I interview because of the beard,” he said on the Ghana Yensom show on Accra100.5FM on Friday, 24 May 2019.

But Ms Darko said the bacteria that harbour the beard spread to other parts of the body through the nose and the mouth and eventually cause serious medical conditions.

She told show host Kwabena Prah Jnr (The Don) that in Ghana and other parts of Africa where sweat is pervasive due to the heat, it is not advisable to keep a beard, especially if one cannot keep it clean.

She said keepers of bears easily contract fungal infections. “The beard traps sweat, traps dust and these bring about sicknesses on the face that can be transported to other parts of the body," she added.

She, however, noted that some medical conditions require that men keep their beards.

“I must also add, however, that there are some medical conditions that doctors recommend keeping of beards.”

Source: Ghana/ClassFMonline.com/91.3FM