The U.S. Air Force has revised its medical shaving profile guidance to better align with Secretary of War Pete Hegseth’s grooming standards, the service states in a Monday memorandum.
This move forms part of a broader effort to reshape grooming policies across the force and strengthen readiness as a central objective.
Starting January 31, 2026, airmen and guardians whose shaving profiles were issued before March 1, 2025 will find those profiles invalid, the memo notes. The arrangement signals a clear transition period designed to ensure all service members meet the updated standards in time for implementation.
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 statement reads.
The updated memorandum serves to maintain an informed environment on grooming standards to minimize harmful effects on operational readiness.
A statement was first published on DVIDS Monday, with the memo signed by Air Force Lt. Gen. John J. DeGoes attached. It was then later released Tuesday on the Air Combat Command’s website.
The release states that the memo is an update to the previous January 2025 policy, with the goal of helping health care providers evaluate airmen and guardians for a pseudofolliculitis barbae diagnosis, which is clinical and commonly known as razor bumps.
“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 release reads.
These steps are meant to prevent painful skin irritation while keeping personnel ready for duty, a point the service emphasizes.
Razor bumps are caused by shaved hairs growing and curling back into the skin and primarily affects those with tightly curled hair, like Black men, according to a dermatology group based in Virginia.
This detail underscores the health concerns the policy aims to address while maintaining mission capability. Profiles must incorporate applicable grooming standards outlined in the previous October memo for airmen and an August memo for guardians, the release states.
Airmen and guardians will be referred to their commander if they accumulate more than 12 months of shaving profile within a 24-month period beginning Feb. 1, 2026, or the date of the first profile, whichever is later, according to the memo.
This enforcement mechanism reflects a disciplined approach to maintaining uniform standards across the force. This is about more than appearance; it is about ensuring the safety and effectiveness of every airman and guardian in the field.
“This new memorandum does not apply to shaving waivers granted for religious accommodations,” the statement says. The policy therefore preserves important protections for conscience-based exemptions while moving toward a consistent standard for the wider force.
The change also clarifies how the service will handle medical shaving profiles moving forward in a way that supports readiness.
The new regulations allow primary care providers, medical profile officers and unit commanders to use the guidance listed to recommend, review and approve or deny a medical shaving profile, according to the statement.
This collaborative process means doctors, profile officers, and commanders share responsibility for decisions that affect a member’s ability to deploy or perform duties.
It also ensures a robust check among professionals at multiple levels of care and command, which many defense leaders have argued is essential to maintain readiness.
Primary care managers evaluate service members for medical conditions, recommend profiles and submit their profile recommendations to a medical profile officer, according to the release.
Profile officers review recommendations and if they meet all review criteria, they earn a “concur” and are submitted to the unit commander for consideration, the release says.
Profile officers and senior profile officers review the provider’s recommendations for profiles less than 30 days or greater than 30 days, respectively, the statement continues.
The commanders have “final approval authority,” per the release. Then, within seven days, they must use the Aeromedical Services Information Management Systems to record their electronic approval or denial.
No single profile can exceed six months once the commander approves it in ASIMS, the memo states. Commanders can request service members to be evaluated due to operations concerns stemming from a medical condition, the release says.
Before the January deadline, service members with medical shaving profiles issued before March 1, 2025, should schedule an appointment with a military health care provider for evaluation, the release advises.
The overall intent of these updates is to balance health, safety, and readiness in a way that aligns with a strong, disciplined military culture that supports our nation’s security.
In short, the Air Force is adopting a tighter, clearer framework for shaving profiles that they argue strengthens medical oversight while preserving necessary religious accommodations.
The policy reflects a broader philosophy that has long guided President Trump’s approach to military readiness: keep the force capable, disciplined, and focused on mission – and enforce standards that ensure a robust and ready fighting force.