By Isaac Cooper

The month is November and the event is not shaving facial hair.  This fall pastime is a great way to bond with friends over hair growth and have a legitimate reason to grow a bodacious beard or a stallion mustache.  However, before putting down the clipper and shaving cream, its important to understand the health origins of this event.

   First, a distinction must be drawn between No Shave November and Movember.  These terms are used interchangeably to refer to the event of not shaving your face in November.  However, Movember requires that participants start from scratch and record their progress over the month.  No Shave November allows participants to start from any point of hair growth and groom their hair.

   RJR alum Caleb Kritchevsky does not participate in No Shave November, but he has a strong sense for how to maintain his own personal health.

   “I will force myself to go to bed early just so I can get enough,” Kritchevsky said.  “Sleep is the building block of a healthy lifestyle.”

   For Kritchevsky, a student at Wake Forest University, maintaining his personal health involves a strict dedication to receiving a sufficient amount of sleep.  This is the principle behind No Shave November: promoting health maintenance awareness. Specifically, No Shave November addresses the upkeep of men’s health, as the event addresses testicular and prostate cancer, two prevalent men’s health issues.

   By participating in No Shave November, or Movember, participants skip shaving and grow out their hair to address the fact that victims of cancers often lose hair from rigorous chemotherapy.  Moreover, the money saved from not shaving can be used as donations to cancer awareness and treatment centers.

   No Shave November is a basic change in a daily routine that can raise awareness about the two most common cancers among men and cancer in general, for those like junior Jack Hubbard.

   “I do have a history of cancer in my family… so if there’s anything I can do to raise awareness for issues like that, then I will do it,” Hubbard said.

   Junior Henry Smith understands this sentiment, as he has formed healthy habits to maintain his personal health.

   “I go to the doctor, but besides that I try to eat healthy and keep up with my hygiene because a lot of my family has died from strokes… I want to continue exercising and eating healthy to extend my life,” Smith said.   

   By 2030, it is estimated that that prostate cancer diagnoses will double their current amount.  With a prospect like this, it is important to continue the upkeep of men’s health, as well as continue to be educated about men’s health issues. No Shave November and Movember are great ways to go about doing so.

Photo Provided by Creative Commons