All Marines with a current shaving waiver for a medical condition must be reevaluated by a medical officer in the next three months, according to a Marine Administrative Message, or MARADMIN released Thursday. The order applies to Marines who hold medically approved exemptions from shaving rules — or ‘shaving chits’ — for a painful skin condition known as pseudofolliculitis barbae or PFB. The condition is far more common in Black men than in other racial groups.
The new order also appears to reverse rules issued in 2022 that prevented Marines from being kicked out of the service solely for shaving issues. Thousands of service members, including many Marines, are exempted from service shaving rules because of PFB and other skin conditions under which daily shaving can be both painful and leave long-term scars.
Under the new guidance, medical officers will recommend whether or not Marines should receive an exception to grooming standards for PFB, but the final decision will rest with commanding officers, the MARADMIN says.
“Commanders are expected to actively monitor the four-phase treatment plan by ensuring Marines with Pseudofolliculitis Barbae (PFB) are following their prescribed medical treatment and by facilitating communication between the Marine, medical personnel, and leadership,” Yvonne Carlock, a spokeswoman for USMC Manpower and Reserve Affairs, told Task & Purpose.
Pseudofolliculitis barbae, or PFB, is an affliction common in up to 60% of Black men, in which facial hair curves back into the skin, causing inflammation. Shaving exacerbates the problem by sharpening the hair. That’s why Marines with PFB may require an exception to policy for the Corps’ grooming standards, so that they are not required to shave while their condition is treated.
The MARADMIN outlines a four-phase treatment plan for Marines with the skin condition, which ranges from temporarily avoiding shaving to possible laser treatment for more severe cases. Carlock said that the update ensures “consistency in the management of medical conditions” while getting Marines to full compliance.
Marines who need an exemption to grooming or uniform standards for more than a year due to a medical condition “may be considered for administrative separation due to incompatibility with Service,” the MARADMIN says.
“However, every effort will be made to support Marines through treatment and recovery before such decisions are considered,” Carlock said.
Carlock insisted that the MARADMIN is not a change to Marine Corps standards, but rather it is meant to provide “clear, standardized guidance” on how medical conditions may temporarily affect whether Marines can meet grooming and uniform standards,
“The Marine Corps remains fully committed to supporting Marines diagnosed with PFB or any medical condition that temporarily impacts grooming or uniform standards,” Carlock said. “This MARADMIN provides updated guidance to ensure consistency across all medical conditions requiring such modifications.”
The MARADMIN’s release coincides with a March 12 memo from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth that ordered a review of physical fitness and grooming standards “which includes but is not limited to beards.”
The memo doesn’t say exactly what aspect of beards the standards review will examine, but Hegseth posted on X on Wednesday, “Our troops will look sharp — not sloppy.”
Even though the British Army announced in 2024 that its soldiers could grow beards for the first time in 100 years, most U.S. service members are still prevented from having beards, in part because the military branches are concerned that facial hair prevents oxygen gas masks from sealing properly.
U.S. special operations forces have worn beards during deployments to Afghanistan and other countries where men are expected to have long facial hair, but they have been expected to be clean-shaven after arriving home.
In January, Marine Corps Commandant Gen. Eric Smith made it very clear that Marines should not hold out any hope of being allowed to grow beards for “fashion” in the foreseeable future.
“Because we’re Marines and we’re different,” Smith said during a Defense Writers Group event in Washington, D.C. “The Marine Corps has a brand, and we’re making our recruiting mission. We’ve always made our recruiting mission, and what we don’t want to do is tinker with the ethos of the Marine Corps — you joined us, we didn’t join you. You knew that coming in. You signed up. We don’t have beards, and you knew that coming in.”
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