I have not shaved, since the Summer of 1967 (I was 19) (see my pictures, on bbc's "resources" page.). My wife has NEVER seen my bare, round baby face, with dimples, except in my high school yearbook!

I disliked shaving; it irritated my sensative throat skin, and I wanted to look older and be a hippie anyway.

YOU don't GROW a beard. You're a MAN, so IT GROWS. The whole point of not shaving is NOT SHAVING ANYWHERE ON YOUR FACE. The heck with goatees (you're not a goat!) or handlebar moustaches (You're not a bicycle!). They're too much trouble to maintain. If you shave anywhere, then you HAVE TO shave, every day, or people notice. If you don't shave, then nobody notices. Beards are low maintenance. You have less stuf to carry, when you travel too.