Shaving may not only make men look cleaner, but it actually makes them cleaner, a new study found.
Researchers say men's beards carry more microbes than dogs, The Daily Mail said.
In the study at Switzerland's Hirslanden Clinic, swabs were taken from 18 men with hairy chins. They also were taken from 30 dogs of varying breeds.
Professor Andreas Gutzeit said all of the beards were carrying "a significantly higher bacterial load." Only 23 of the 30 dogs had high counts.
Seven of the men were even carrying harmful microbes, Gutzeit said.
A man from a group that supports beards brushed off the findings.
"I think it's possible to find all sorts of unpleasant things if you took swabs from people's hair and hands and then tested them," said Keith Flett, founder of the Beard Liberation Front.
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