Air Force Technical Sergeant Matthew Byous will reach 17 years of service in December as a Tactical Aircraft Maintenance Specialist. A former collegiate and Air Force wrestler who served as the head coach of the All-Air Force wrestling team, leading the team to its best finish in 40 years at the world team trials.
He’s also been an exemplary performer at work, hand-picked to work on special projects that led to him personally briefing the Air Force Vice Chief of Staff and Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force. He’s also under a shaving waiver that he’s had for most of his career. Under a new Secretary of Defense policy, Byous’ USAF career may soon be over.
If you’re also a military member under a shaving waiver, then your days in the military could be numbered, too. Under the new policy issued by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, military members can only receive shaving waivers for one year while receiving medical treatment. If, at the end of that year, a waiver is still required, then commanders must begin separation paperwork on the affected military member.
The New Shaving Waiver Policy
Hegseth set the tone very clearly by saying, “The grooming standard set by the U.S. military is to be clean-shaven and neat in presentation for a proper military appearance.”
Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell followed up Hegseth’s comments with a memorandum to DoD personnel released on September 15th. The memo offered the rationale behind the change in policy and the actions commanders will take when their personnel fail to meet the guidelines:
Commanders must apply consistent criteria and appropriately consider the Department's interests in safety and uniformity when authorizing individual exceptions.
Military medical officers will provide a written recommendation concerning a shaving waiver to the commander, who is the final approval authority. Service members with an approved shaving waiver will participate in a medical treatment plan.
Unit commanders will initiate the separation of Service members who require a shaving waiver after more than one year of medical treatment.
The official memo can be found here.
How Many Service Members are Impacted?
According to Military.com, about 20,000 Air and Space Force members required shaving waivers in 2023. Army sources put their service’s number at 40,000 in 2024.
Military members can grow beards if they receive a religious exemption or a medical waiver for conditions such as pseudofolliculitis barbae (PFB), more commonly known as razor bumps.
PFB is a skin condition caused by ingrown hairs that makes shaving painful and can lead to scarring if the skin is not given a chance to heal.
PFB is more common amongst Black men, as they comprise about 60% of Airmen on shaving waivers.
Byous, who has an African-American grandfather, was once half-jokingly told by a supervisor that he wasn’t “Black enough” to have a shaving waiver.
One Airman’s Shaving Waiver Story
Byous is a third-generation airman. His family has dedicated over 60 years to the USAF, and his father continues to serve as a civil service employee.
Byous received his first waiver while attending Basic Training at Lackland AFB, Texas. At his first duty station, his supervisors told him that, if he wanted a chance to be successful, then he shouldn’t use his shaving waiver.
Byous heeded their advice and began shaving every day in hopes of earning selection to cross-train as a Tactical Air Control Party (TACP) Specialist. When his cross-training request was denied and he was given a remote assignment to South Korea, Byous went back on his shaving waiver.
“I decided that I was over playing the game. It was too painful. I’ve maintained by waiver ever since,” Byous said.
In more than 14 years since going back on the waiver, Byous has had an impactful career.
“I’ve briefed at the highest levels of the Air Force with my facial hair. Not once was my beard mentioned by them or their staff. No one has ever questioned my beard or my professionalism,” Byous said.
Byous’ waiver hasn’t prevented him from serving his nation in peacetime and war, at home and abroad.
“My shaving waiver has never prevented me from deploying to defend our nation, something I’ve done multiple times. I’ve done more than 400 days of other temporary duty in my career – more time away from my family. My waiver also didn’t prevent me from serving three one-year remote tours,” Byous continued.
For the last 11 years, Byous has served overseas in Korea, Italy, the United Kingdom, and currently in Okinawa, Japan. During those assignments, Byous has often worked hand-in-hand with military personnel from partner nations.
Shaving Rules in the Militaries of Other Nations
US military leaders have banned beards for decades. They argue that they look unprofessional and they interfere with the effective seal of a gas mask or oxygen mask.
However, the science supporting that last statement is not settled. Other NATO militaries, such as Canada, Germany, and Norway, allow beards, and even some NATO fighter pilots sport them.
Beard rules vary significantly by foreign military; most are strict, requiring approval and neatness for beards that must be short and trim, while some militaries, like the UK's Royal Navy, allow them with prior permission.
In many nations, including the US, personnel assigned to special operations units or who perform specific roles can be granted exceptions for missions that require cultural blending.
A Biased Policy?
In 2021, military dermatologists concluded that the policy against beards was not inherently racist, but because it created a bias against beards, it would “likely always affect the promotions of Blacks/African-Americans disproportionately because of the relatively higher need for shaving waivers in this population.”
In a 2025 interview with Air and Space Forces Magazine, a military dermatologist, granted anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly, said that the new policy would reopen this debate.
“The majority of these [PFB] cases are not curable by any other means than not shaving, so if we decide to separate members who cannot closely shave, that will disproportionately affect our Black Soldiers, Marines, Airmen, and Sailors,” the dermatologist said.
Instances of documented PFB among male service members increased from 2000 to 2022, according to data gathered by the Military Health System. Black troops had by far the highest number of cases, but White and Hispanic troops also saw increases after 2020. That could suggest the policy changes led to more service members seeking treatment.
Lawsuits Ahead?
It’s left to be seen if military personnel impacted by the new policy will take legal action against the DoD. Those close to retirement may elect to take an easier path.
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