New research shows that a beard can make a man look ten years older (2024)

Get your razors at the ready as it was revealed today that a beard can make men look up to ten years older.

Even a light stubble can age a man by three years and having a moustache can add up to five years to a man's age.

Beards have become trendy again with celebrities such as David Beckham, George Clooney and Ben Affleck helping to improve their popularity.

However, despite the surge in furry faces much of the public agrees that these A-listers would be better off beard-less.

A panel of 300 people was shown pictures of various celebrities who regularly change their facial hair.

They were asked to guess how old the stars looked according to whether they were clean shaven, had stubble, a moustache, a beard or a heavy beard.

And it was the uber-fashionable trends for beards that most people agreed were causing the men to appear older.

Participants agreed that football manager Roy Keane, who has recently taken on the beard aged most markedly with his facial hair adding ten years to his age.

Keane, who is 43, was adjudged to look 50 with his bushy beard. Clean shaven, he was said to look just 40 – three years younger than his real age.

David Beckham's, who is famed for spear heading men's fashions, current shaving habits are not serving him well.

The panel aged him at 35 four years younger than his real age when he was clean shaved, however they said that his current habit for facial hair was causing him to look 40.

Robert Pattinson is another recent convert to substantial stubble. The panel agreed that with his facial hair he looked true to his current age of 28. However, the panel also agreed that the actor could potentially look younger looking just 25 when clean shaven.

George Clooney was another actor who could potentially lose a few years looking 53 - his real age - with a moustache but just 48 when he had had a shave.

Brad Pitt was the only celebrity to defy his years both with and without a beard. The panel aged the 50-year-old actor at 49 with is goatee and just 45 when clean shaven.

The research was carried out by Britain's leading hair transplant centre, Crown Clinic in Manchester.

Surgeon Asim Shahmalak says that he agrees with the panel and that the way to remain looking youthful is to lose the stubble.

'There is no doubt that facial hair and beards in particular do tend to make men look older.'

Despite this Dr Shahmalak says that having a little facial hair is better than no hair at all when it comes to self-confidence.

'Studies consistently show that men who go bald early in life suffer from lower self-esteem and can even earn less than men with full heads of hair.

'They can look at least ten years older than contemporaries who have kept their hair. That is why we have seen a 25% increase in men seeking hair transplants in the last two years.

'Men no longer have to put up with being bald, particularly as medical science improves and transplants leave men looking so much better.'