In my case the goatee was a great tool to help with the fade. The elders don't like it, but not a lot they can really do about it when it comes right down to it. I grew mine while I was still attending meetings, many of the pubs made coments on how good it looked and they did not understand why they did not allow it.
The first thing they did was scheduled all my talks in the #2 school down in the basement. Then I tried to make arrangements for field service with a couple of elders, they said okay, but on service day they did not show and had made arrangement for someone else to work with me who was not an elder. So the elders did not want to expalain to other pubs why they were working with a brother in service with a goatee.
It makes them all very uncomforatable and in general you are labeled as someone with a B.A. (Bad Attitude).
Then once you stop coming all together, they are actually relieved that you are not there causing others to question the stupid rules that they can't justify.
I recommend the goatee to all faders. But push the envelope, go out in service with it, give talks from the platform. It's fun to watch them squirm!
Then once you stop, they will most likely leave you alone, they don't really want you back causing pubs to think and question.