Move over Gandalf, there’s a new beard in town. Conchita Wurst must surely be at the pinnacle of the beard fad that has captured so many men and dusted their faces with hair.

Sitting in a pub I overheard a group of young men discussing said beard with a hint of awe…“But how on earth does he get it so…sculptured??”

Whatever tools Conchita uses to tame the mane, it is clear that for men and women alike beards are on the menu. But for how long?

I used to absolutely hate any kind of facial hair. So I was completely confused when, about a year ago, I found myself thinking “phwaarr that guy is rather dishy!” as a guy with a plentiful supply of chin fluff walked by. So captivated had I become by the rugged, manly craze, that when my husband asked if he needed a shave I responded seductively ”No… let’s see where you can take that beard”.

Scientists believe that evolution is the solution to this furry phase. Certain characteristics or traits are selected over others because they lead to a sexual advantage.

In other words, if you’ve got it you get lucky more often and therefore are more successful in spreading your wild oats!

There are two types of selection: Negative frequency-dependent selection, which is where the trait is more attractive the rarer it is and Positive frequency-dependent selection which is the opposite – the trait is more attractive when it is common.

Examples of Negative frequency-dependent selection can be found in nature. The flu virus is master of this type of selection. When a flu virus is common, humans have immune responses ready to fight it off.

However, when a rare virus comes along it is extremely successful because no immune response has been developed and so that rare virus spreads quickly and viciously through the population.

Luckily, other than for a bit of stubble-rash, beards are a lot less dangerous. But it seems that their popularity falls into the same category. Because beards were quite rare they became highly valued. And presto! The bearded man gets the clam.

It follows then that all trends in fashion may be in part down to evolution and not completely at the whim of Versace and Chanel.

Maybe this scientific tidbit can also help you get ahead of the game. Get your hair permed and dust off your MC Hammer pants and you might just become the most popular style guru around.

But could Conchita’s perfect beard mark the end of this furry fashion? Scientists believe that yes, we may well have hit the beard barrier.

Because there are so many bearded men around now (men will do anything to copy others who are successful with the ladies) the value of the beard is decreasing.

Just like the post-seventies facial hair phase-out, scientists think this selection pressure will force the popularity of beards back down.