Doctor issues urgent warning against kissing bearded men and reveals it can lead to gruesome health issues

A doctor has issued an urgent warning against people kissing men with a beard.

Dr Myro Figura, an anesthesiologist from Los Angeles, took to Instagram to explain why kissing someone with a beard can result in infections and skin irritation. 

He explained: 'Kissing somebody with a beard can cause an infection? It sure can.

'If not clean, the beard can harbour a lot of bacteria like staph and strep and when kissing the beard can cause breaks in the skin, allowing bacteria to enter and cause an infection called impetigo.' 

Impetigo is contagious but not serious.

According to the NHS, it starts with red sores or blisters, but the redness may be harder to see on brown and black skin.

'The sores or blisters quickly burst and often leave crusty, golden-brown patches.

'The patches can look a but like cornflakes stuck to your skin, get bigger and spread to others parts of your body, be itchy and are sometimes painful.'

Treatment can include hydrogen peroxide cream if it's in 1 area, antibiotic cream or tablets if it's widespread and antibiotic tablets if it is bullous impetigo (impetigo that includes large, fluid-filled blisters).

It added that pharmacists can help, providing a consultation and treatment but if it is particularly painful or not going away then it's best to speak to a GP.

Cases typically clear up in seven to ten days with treatment but a surefire way to avoid getting the nasty skin infection is for men to make sure they're taking good care of their facial hair. 

TikTok dermatologist Muneeb Shah previously explained that it's important to reduce the spread of bacteria and so cleaning regularly can help your skin and your partners. 

Social media users flocked to Dr Figura's video and shared their shock at the infection, with many women revealing that infections like impetigo are the reason they avoid men with beards. 

One wrote: 'That's why I like clean shaven', while another said, 'They will never make me like men with beards!' and a third commented, 'baby-faced boys till i die'.

Others took to the comments to share their surprise than men might not wash their beards regularly.

One said: 'For how long did they keep it unwashed to be a deadly weapon like that?' and one person commented, 'Dude who is not washing their beard DAILY?! That thing is a wet sponge when it comes to crumbs and liquids.'

It comes after doctors issued an urgent warning over a common sexual act.

The herpes virus can travel to the brain during oral sex, scientists warn.

They've discovered that people can contract herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) in and around the nose, which provides a dangerously direct corridor to the brain.

The infection, in theory, could then cause inflammation and lead to complications such as brain damage and dementia.

The University of Chicago's Professor Deepak Shukla, who led the research, told DailyMail.com this mode of transmission could occur in the bedroom.

He said any position that makes it possible for someone's nose to come into contact with HSV-1 particles from a person who is actively shedding the virus is a risk. 

Nearly four billion people worldwide carry HSV-1, the main cause of oral herpes.

The most common way it's transmitted from a carrier to someone without herpes is by touching an active sore.

For someone with oral herpes, occasionally causing blisters around the lips, this means making contact with that person's cold sore or saliva - when their body is actively producing or 'shedding' the virus.

However, there are cases of HSV-1 causing genital herpes, meaning that an infected carrier passed on the virus during oral sex.

Essentially, someone could inhale infectious particles when their face is pressed up against skin or sores shedding HSV-1.

For the first time, in the journal mBio, Professor Shukla revealed that there's a key enzyme in the human body that could make these herpes infections entering through the nose particularly devastating for brain health.

The enzyme is called heparanase (HPSE) and experiments revealed that it might be a hidden puppet master, amplifying inflammation and driving the long-term brain damage after HSV-1 sneaks into the brain through the nose.

HPSE is a normal enzyme in humans and other mammals, which breaks down sugar-like molecules that are part of the supportive structures of our cells.

HPSE usually acts like a cleanup crew, clearing out damaged cells so the body can regenerate injured tissues.

However, when someone becomes infected with HSV-1, the herpes virus hijacks this enzyme and causes it to produce too much inflammation. 

For most of the world's population that carries HSV-1 with only the occasional cold sore, there really isn't much to worry about.

When this infection somehow reaches the brain, however, HSV-1 can cause encephalitis, a dangerous brain inflammation, or linger quietly, possibly contributing to conditions like Alzheimer's disease later in life.

Overall, cases of herpes simplex encephalitis (HSE), where HSV-1 infects the brain, causing inflammation, are still rare.