(Photo: Screenshot of a report by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

Beards will reduce the protection offered by face masks, according to a report by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Amid the global outbreak of novel coronavirus, wearing masks has become one of the most effective way to protect yourself, but the CDC report stated that the presence of facial hair under the sealing surface causes "20 to 1,000 times more leakage compared to clean-shaven individuals."

"The reason for this is simple–gases, vapors, and particles in the air will take the path of least resistance and bypass the part of the respirator that captures or filters hazards out," explains the report.

As the virus continues to rapidly spread, effectively using each mask is important. Aside from having facial hair, other ways people are wasting masks is by steaming or spraying ethyl alcohol on to them. Other detrimental methods include wearing more than one mask at a time, reusing it more than once, and turning them inside-out.