Facial Hair Styles During the Coronavirus Pandemic

Post by R.M. team, 19 April 2020

Note: The author's views are entirely his or her own and may not reflect the views of RetoxMagazine.com

Facial hair is a hot topic during the coronavirus pandemic with individuals, organisations and even countries all taking different approaches.

Would you shave your beard during the coronavirus pandemic?

Should I shave my beard?

The coronavirus is thought to primarily spread through respiratory droplets, mainly from the cough or sneeze of an infected person. If someone sneezes in your face, it could settle on your nose, your beard, or any other part of your face. It’s not the beard that is the problem, it’s being in close contact with others or having people sneezing on you or coughing on you. A properly cared-for beard along with social distancing and good hygiene practices is thought to be ok.

John Swartzberg, a clinical professor emeritus at UC Berkley’s School of Public Health, told the Los Angeles Times, bearded people could "theoretically" transfer the coronavirus from their facial hair if, for example, an infected person coughed on their beard. However, Swartzberg added that there have been no studies on the topic, and that he knows "of no science to support" that possibility.

However, if you are a key worker you might need to shave or restyle your facial hair so that the protective respiratory equipment give you a solid fit without any gaps that may allow the virus to seep in.

Which beard styles are acceptable for key workers?

Facial hair, including the popular 'hipster beard' and 'designer stubble' styles reduce the effectiveness of surgical grade face masks because they stop them from sealing against the skin which allows airborne respiratory droplets to pass through.

For example, the UK Government has published a picture guide on facial hair and FFP3 respirators, which indicates which facial hair styles are acceptable and which facial hair styles are not acceptable in relation to safety equipment – specifically the FFP3s.

Acceptable styles: Clean shaven, soul patches, sideburns, pencil and thick moustaches.

Styles that are not acceptable: Full beards, stubble, extended or long goatees, mutton chops, long moustaches.

Beard styles like goatee and handlebar can be acceptable but should be worn with caution to ensure that hair does not cross the respirator seal.

UK Government’s easy-read picture guide on facial hair and FFP3 respirators, here's the original version.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published an even more detailed guide on facial hairstyles and filtering facepiece respirators.

Acceptable styles: Clean shaven, soul patches, side whiskers, and a whole bunch of different moustache styles – pencil styles, toothbrush, lampshade, Zorro, Zappa, walrus, painters brush, chevron and handle bar moustaches.

Styles that are not acceptable: Full beards, stubble, long stubble, French fork, ducktail, Verdi, Garibaldi, Bandholz, chin curtain, extended goatee, circle beard, Van Dyke, imperial, mutton chops, hulihee, Fu Manchu, English and Dali styles.

Beard styles like goatee anchor, balbo, horseshoe and villain are acceptable but should be worn with caution to ensure that hair does not cross the seal.

CDC also point out that if your respirator has an exaltation valve some styles may interfere with the valve working properly if the facial hair comes in contact with it. This is something to watch out for.

You can download the original image from cdc.gov

How long does coronavirus sit on facial hair?

Some news reports state that the coronavirus can live on a surgical mask for 7 days, cloth for 2 days, and paper for 3 hours, that may be so, but on this occasion we’ll follow the information from the World Health Organisations, and they state:

"It is not certain how long the virus that causes COVID-19 survives on surfaces, but it seems to behave like other coronaviruses. Studies suggest that coronaviruses (including preliminary information on the COVID-19 virus) may persist on surfaces for a few hours or up to several days. This may vary under different conditions (e.g. type of surface, temperature or humidity of the environment)."

"If you think a surface may be infected, clean it with simple disinfectant to kill the virus and protect yourself and others. Clean your hands with an alcohol-based hand rub or wash them with soap and water. Avoid touching your eyes, mouth, or nose."

There are reports, however, that in China medics had to get rid of their hair before going to the coronavirus epicentre in Wuhan, including female nurses shaving their hair off to become skinheads.