Shell’s milestone on plastics plant
Shell has completed a substantial step in the construction of its plastics production complex in Pennsylvania, a project expected to be a catalyst for similar developments in the Northeast.
Turns out, in an allergenheavy place like Houston, a beard might be one of the best defenses a man can have against seasonal allergies.
As the calendar marches on toward cancer-awareness NoShave November, a Houston-area ear, nose and throat specialist says that it would behoove some Houstonians to keep the beard beyond the end of November.
“It’s two-fold in terms of how beards can protect you from allergies,” said Dr. Abib Agbetoba with Texas ENT Specialists. “The first is obvious. The beard can trap or filter those allergens before getting into the nose and mouth.”
Beards sort of act as a form of immunotherapy, too.
“With the beard, some of the allergens will become trapped in the mustache or beard itself, exposing the body to the allergens over a longer period of time,” he said. “You are basically desensitizing yourself to the allergen over time.”
It’s good to groom beards, as keeping them clean keeps the filter clean. If they are dirty, the allergen load increases, and it can actually be too large for a body to handle.
“It’s a natural filtration system,” the doctor said. Albeit a natural filtration system that needs minor upkeep, which area barbers are more than qualified to deal with.
Some area barbers said that beards are popular these days, which means there are more allergy filters making their way into all walks of life, even the corporate boardrooms.
“It’s been wild seeing the dramatic increase in many of our male clients adding ‘beard trim’ to their services just over the past year and a half. Many of them business professionals,” owner Ryan Taylor at East End Barber said Friday.
Jules Kaiser at Argyle League Barbershop in Montrose said that some days he looks around the shop and each chair has a client with a beard.
“And just like the hair above the nose, the hair below the nose also has its creams, washes and lotions,” Kaiser said.
And as Houston gets a few degrees colder, some extra fur on the face can be comfortable, too. But it’s not just a winter balm. Agbetoba also noted that beards can protect your face from the sun, so think about that next summer.