FALLS CHURCH, Va. —
The Department of the Air Force updated its medical guidance for shaving profiles, Dec. 15, 2025, to align with the Secretary of War’s grooming standards.
Effective Jan. 31, 2026, all shaving profiles issued before March 1, 2025, are invalid. Airmen and Guardians who have medical shaving profiles issued prior to March 1, 2025, should schedule an appointment with a military health care provider for further evaluation before the January deadline.
Additionally, the Dec. 15, 2025, memorandum equips primary care providers, medical profile officers and unit commanders with guidance to inform their decision to recommend and approve or deny a medical shaving profile.
Key updates
- Profiles must incorporate applicable grooming standards outlined in Department of Air Force Guidance Memorandum 2025-03 to Department of Air Force Instruction 36-2903, Dress and Personal Appearance of Department of Air Force Personnel.
- No single profile may exceed a six-month period.
- Beginning Feb. 1, 2026, Airmen and Guardians who accumulate more than 12 months of shaving profile within a 24-month period will be referred to their commander.
- This new memorandum does not apply to shaving waivers granted for religious accommodations.
Primary care manager role – recommend
- Primary care managers evaluate members for medical conditions, recommend profiles, and submit their profile recommendations to a medical profile officer.
Profile officer role – review
- For profiles of 30 days or less – Profile officers review the provider’s recommendations.
- For profiles greater than 30 days – Senior profile officers review recommendations.
- Profile recommendations that meet all review criteria earn a “concur” and are submitted to the unit commander for consideration.
Commander role – approve
- Commanders have final approval authority for medical shaving profiles. They record their electronic approval or denial via the Aeromedical Services Information Management Systems (ASIMS) within seven days.
- Commanders may request service members to be evaluated due to operational concerns stemming from a medical condition.
Airmen and Guardians who have or are at risk of getting PFB will be given preventive education on appropriate shaving hygiene and, if needed, medication, a consultation with a Dermatologist (or specialist) or a recommendation for laser hair removal.
The Dec. 15 memo is an update to the policy in January 2025, designed to assist health care providers in evaluating Airmen and Guardians for a Pseudofolliculitis Barbae (PFB) diagnosis. That memo differentiated between shaving irritation and PFB, and provided criteria to distinguish between mild, moderate and severe cases of PFB.
The Air Force Medical Service is committed to the health and safety of its service members while ensuring readiness standards consistent with the Department of War. The updated memorandum serves to maintain an informed environment on grooming standards to minimize harmful effects on operational readiness.
Air Force Surgeon General Public Affairs
This is pretty ridiculous. While deployed to CENTCOM the O-5 I worked with was a board certified dermatologist of over 20 years and we deferred to him for PFB evaluations. All of them got perm shaving profiles. In the field where water and time is scare, PFB management is a challenge. “Appropriate shaving hygiene and, if needed, medication” is a garrison mentality and does nothing to improve our lethality.
DoD is really going to mandate laser hair removal something that might affect a servicemember’s ability to grow facial hair once they leave the military? Are they going to be able to provide that downrange?