Movember is an annual event that occurs during November and encourages everyone who wants to participate to grow mustaches to raise awareness about men’s health issues—particularly the issues of testicular cancer, prostate cancer, and men’s suicide.

The Movember Charity Event is associated with this month and is run by the Movember Foundation. Since this month encourages men to get involved by growing mustaches, it’s hoped that their awareness about the benefits of seeking early cancer detection, diagnosis, and treatment will be raised.

Early detection of men’s cancers can result in significantly better survival rates and outcomes, and that’s why it’s important for everyone to observe this month and help save some lives.

The History of Movember

During the 1990s, a group of men in Adelaide, South Australia, coined the term “Movember” and created the concept of growing mustaches for charity. Apparently, they did this one night while congregating in a pub. It didn’t take long for the idea to grow from a small group of men and become a nationwide event.

A few years later, a group of people in Melbourne, Australia, organized an event where thirty men would grow mustaches for thirty days to raise awareness for prostate cancer and depression in men.

The movement continued to grow, and in 2005, five hundred people raised over $40,000 for the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia. The group would later become the Movember Foundation Charity.

Cancer Facts for Men

To highlight the importance of men observing Movember, and the importance of men getting regular cancer screenings, we’ve decided to list some of the facts that we know about cancers that affect men. With that being said, let’s take a look at these facts below.

• Except for cancers of the skin, prostate cancer is the most common cancer in American men.
• Most prostate cancers are found in men aged 65 years and older.
• Men should be regularly screened for colon cancer beginning at the age of 45.

Observing Movember in November

All that men have to do to celebrate Movember is to take the time to grow their mustaches. They can then host an event during which people sponsor them for growing the mustache. And all of the money that’s raised can be donated to organizations that research cancers that are common to men. People can also use the hashtag #Movember on their social media posts to spread the word about this month.