Kissing a man with a beard can come with health risks (Getty Stock Images)

Kissing someone with a beard may seem harmless, but it can cause skin issues like impetigo, a contagious infection. Dr. Myro Figura explains that beards can harbor bacteria like staph and strep. If the beard isn’t clean, it can transfer bacteria to your skin through tiny breaks, leading to an infection. While impetigo isn’t serious, it can be uncomfortable, causing sores and blisters that eventually scab over.

Dermatologist Muneeb Shah has also warned about the risks of unclean beards, advising men to clean them regularly to avoid spreading bacteria. Though impetigo usually clears up in 7 to 10 days with treatment, it’s better to be cautious.

“The sores or blisters quickly burst and leave crusty, golden-brown patches.”

If you think you’ve got impetigo, you should visit your GP, who can prescribe an antibiotic cream to speed up your recovery, with antibiotic tablets needed in more serious cases.

Meanwhile, Shah’s clip, originally posted in 2022 and urging everyone to ‘clean their beards’, has sparked a debate about facial hair, with users sharing their experiences and some brave men coming forward to assure they’re keeping their hair religiously clean.

Impetigo is a very contagious skin infection (g-stockstudio/Getty Images)

One TikToker said: “Who????? Who doesn’t clean their beard??!?”

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 said they’d fallen victim to the same issue, saying in shock: “I THOUGHT IT WAS FRICTION WHEN IT HAPPENED TO ME!!!”

A number of men shared 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.”