Marine Corps tightens rules on shaving waivers for medical conditions

The U.S. Marine Corps has ordered Marines recognized with pseudofolliculitis barbae — an inflammatory pores and skin situation aggravated by shaving — to endure medical reevaluation inside 90 days to find out in the event that they nonetheless require a shaving waiver, in response to new Marine Corps steerage issued Thursday.

The executive message outlines a phased remedy plan for Marines affected by pseudofolliculitis barbae, with the last word aim of “returning Service members to grooming requirements and guaranteeing most warfighting readiness.”

“Making certain the well being, resilience, and self-discipline of our Marines and Sailors is crucial to sustaining our warfighting functionality and sustaining the excessive requirements required to stay prepared for any problem,” the message stated. “These requirements guarantee we stay the world’s premier preventing drive, able to combat and win with unwavering readiness, self-discipline and lethality.”

Also called razor bumps, the situation disproportionately impacts Black males.

The Marine Corps’ steerage comes as Protection Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered a evaluation of army health and grooming requirements throughout the entire service branches, with a give attention to beards.

Underneath the interim steerage, army medical officers can grant a medical waiver to Marines recognized with the situation. The waiver will then should be reviewed and signed off on by commanding officers.

Marines who want a waiver for over one 12 months may be subjected to administrative separation, in response to the message.

The brand new steerage outlines a four-phase routine, permitting army medical officers to instruct Marines to make use of clippers and modify grooming requirements if wanted.

Within the first part, Marines will keep away from shaving for 4 weeks till bumps subside. The second part will see Marines with average to extreme circumstances forgo shaving for eight weeks — or one other 4 weeks in the event that they had been already working via part one — together with potential hair elimination via depilatory remedy.

Section three provides one other 4 weeks of the identical remedy if the situation stays unresponsive. In part 4, Marines whose situation doesn’t enhance shall be referred to a dermatologist for a possible laser remedy funded by the federal government.

Prior to now, the Marine Corps has made some exceptions to its strict grooming requirements. In 2023, Jaskirat Singh was reportedly the primary Marine to graduate boot camp together with his Sikh articles of religion, together with unshorn hair, a turban, a beard and a metal bracelet