Military Grooming Policy Changes Affecting Service Members With Pseudofolliculitis Barbae

In August 2025, the US Department of Defense (DoD) revised its grooming standards for military personnel across all branches of service. The changes included new policies for managing pseudofolliculitis barbae (PFB), a chronic inflammatory condition aggravated by shaving that can cause facial irritation and scarring. In this article, we review the revised PFB standards for each branch of the military and examine how recent changes affect policies on shaving waivers, which now will have shorter durations, require more frequent medical evaluations, and add administrative steps that apply to both service members and medical providers. Because PFB affects many individuals in the military, the new DoD-promulgated changes impact clinical management, readiness considerations, and retention policies. Civilian dermatologists, who frequently encounter patients with PFB, should be aware of the military’s regulatory updates to ensure appropriate counseling of service members and prospective recruits.