Two weeks into November and you are probably bumping into men with a bit of fluff on their upper lip or sporting a big, Hungarian brush.

Conversation these days is all about: how is that moustache doing?

Movember – which joins the words ‘men’ and ‘November’ – is a month dedicated to promote men’s health and cancer awareness. Men are encouraged to donate for cancer research but also to grow a moustache.

Some ‘Mo Bros’ take a lot of pride in nurturing a ‘handlebar’, ‘toothbrush’ or ‘walrus’ ’tache, with many documenting their stubble growth on a day-by-day basis, uploading their photos on social media.

The idea behind this is to get people to stare at their facial hair and ask: “What’s with the moustache?”

That is the cue for a conversation opener and an eventual discussion on the importance of men having regular check-ups and being on the lookout for unusual symptoms of prostate or testicular cancer.

The Movember idea came to two friends in a bar in Melbourne, Australia, 10 years ago. They grew their moustaches and raised €200.

The idea was taken up and kept growing until, last year, €60 million was raised around the world.

It is now the largest global funder for prostate cancer research and the money has led to the identification of 27 types of prostate cancer and the ability to genome-map the condition.

More importantly, it has led more men to think about their health and to visit the doctor.

In Malta, in 2010, there were 965 men diagnosed with cancer and 455 cases that resulted in death.

Several companies on the island have picked it up, including Cisk, BRND WGN and JP Advertising, with all the men in the house competing for the most stylish or original ’tache.

There is still another fortnight to go before the Movember men are allowed to shave.

In the meantime, some might get so used to it they may not want to let it go.

For information on Movember Malta, male cancer and how to donate, log on to www.facebook.com/ maltamalecancerawareness.