U.S. Marines shave during a field exercise at Camp Fuji, Japan, Nov. 26, 2023. A message to the force published Friday has updated timelines and policies for separating Marines who require medical shaving waivers. (Alyssa Chuluda/U.S. Marine Corps)
Marines with medical conditions requiring shaving exemptions will be evaluated for possible separation if they cannot meet grooming standards within 12 months, according to an updated message to the force.
The directive clarifies the timeline and counseling process for Marines with medical shaving waivers, including those for pseudofolliculitis barbae, a condition that can cause a person to experience painful inflammation after shaving.
Commonly known as razor bumps, the condition disproportionately affects Black men.
The one-year limit is intended to give commands time to monitor Marines’ conditions and progress. Those whose conditions are not resolved within that period “will be evaluated for administrative separation,” the message states.
Interim changes were announced last year, when the service introduced the possibility of separating Marines who remain on shaving waivers for more than a year.
The update issued Friday sets requirements for commands to monitor a Marine’s progress, including formal counseling at six months. It also says no administrative separations under the policy will be approved before Oct. 1.
Failure to meet grooming standards within the period may be considered adversely affecting good order and discipline, the message says, adding that such cases are not classified as disabilities.
The update aligns with a broader Pentagon effort to tighten enforcement of grooming standards across the services.
That effort follows guidance from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who in September directed service leaders to review grooming and physical fitness standards.
“No more beardos,” Hegseth told senior military officials at a symposium last year. “The era of rampant and ridiculous shaving profiles is done. Simply put, if you ... don’t want to shave and look professional, it’s time for a new position or a new profession.”
The memo does not address whether additional exemptions to the policy will be granted. Religious waivers for shaving are handled separately under existing policies.
