Are beards really dirtier than toilet seats?

THE question: Is it true that beards are dirtier than toilets?

- LINDSEY BEVER

The science:

No need to reach for the razor just yet. While your facial hair is crawling with micro-organisms, it’s unlikely that your moustache or beard is germier than your commode.

The notion that beards are potential carriers of disease dates back about six decades. In a 1967 study, microbiologist Manuel S Barbeito and his colleagues sprayed participants' beards with bacteria and found that the bacteria remained after washing with soap and water.

The idea resurfaced years later - but this time, comparing bacteria in beards to those found in toilets and has remained pervasive online.

Human skin is crawling with micro-organisms, such as bacteria, viruses and fungi. We even have mites living in our eyelashes.

"But not all organisms that we find on the skin are bad," said Shari Lipner, an associate professor of clinical dermatology at Weill Cornell Medicine.