How to Get an Army Shaving Profile and Keep It Active

To get an Army shaving profile, you see a provider at your military treatment facility who examines your skin, documents a qualifying condition like pseudofolliculitis barbae on DA Form 3349-SG, and assigns you to a phased treatment plan. That medical recommendation then goes to the first O-5 commander in your chain, who must sign an Exception-to-Policy memo before you are actually authorized to stop shaving. Under Army Directive 2025-13, both pieces are required, permanent profiles no longer exist, and every profile is tied to active treatment aimed at returning you to grooming compliance.¹

What Qualifies You Medically

The most common qualifying condition is pseudofolliculitis barbae, an inflammatory reaction caused by ingrown hairs that curl back into the skin after shaving, producing painful bumps, scarring, and chronic irritation that worsens with each shave. Severe acne aggravated by shaving, chronic folliculitis (infected hair follicles), and other dermatological problems a military provider can document as medically incompatible with daily shaving also qualify. If your reason is religious rather than medical, you are on a different track entirely, covered further down.

Step One: The Medical Appointment

Start at sick call or by scheduling an appointment at your military treatment facility. You will see a healthcare provider (a physician, nurse practitioner, physician assistant, or dermatologist) who examines your skin and decides whether shaving is causing or worsening a medical condition. Bring whatever helps them see the full picture: prior medical records showing a history of skin problems, photographs of active flare-ups, and a plain description of how shaving affects you. None of it is strictly required, but it matters when your condition flares and calms in cycles.

If the provider agrees a shaving profile is warranted, they document the condition and their findings on DA Form 3349-SG, the Physical Profile Record issued through the Office of the Surgeon General. That form captures the medical condition in plain language, assigns functional limitations, and specifies which treatment phase you start in.² The older DA Form 3349 is the general physical profile form; for shaving profiles specifically, the 3349-SG version is the current standard.

Step Two: The Treatment Phase You Are Assigned

Every shaving profile now comes attached to a medical treatment plan with escalating phases. Your provider places you in the phase that matches your condition’s severity, and each phase has a hard time limit.

Phase I covers mild cases. You may avoid shaving for up to four weeks while undergoing medical treatment so existing lesions can heal. The phase cannot exceed 30 days.
Phase II covers moderate to severe cases. If Phase I treatment does not resolve things, or your initial severity puts you here from the start, you may avoid shaving for up to eight weeks. The phase cannot exceed 60 days.
Phase III covers severe, unresponsive cases. Your provider may extend modified grooming standards for up to an additional four weeks. The combined duration of Phases II and III cannot exceed 90 days.
Phase IV is optional and applies to recurring cases. You may be referred for specialty care, including laser hair removal. Laser treatment is elective, but if you choose it, the Army may cover the cost.

These phases replaced the older approach where soldiers on a profile simply kept facial hair trimmed to a quarter-inch indefinitely. Every profile is now temporary and tied to active treatment.²

Step Three: The Commander’s Exception-to-Policy Memo

A medical profile alone is not enough. Once your provider completes DA Form 3349-SG and approves a treatment plan, the recommendation goes to your chain of command. The first O-5 commander (typically a lieutenant colonel) reviews the recommended profile and, if they concur, issues you a written Exception-to-Policy memo using the template enclosed with the directive.² Without that signed ETP, you are not authorized to have facial hair no matter what your medical provider recommended.

This is where the process stalls for some soldiers. If your O-5 commander has questions or wants more medical documentation, you may need to coordinate between your provider and your chain of command. Do not assume the ETP is automatic once the profile is issued.

Carrying and Renewing Your Profile

Once approved, keep a signed copy of the ETP memo on you whenever you are in uniform or on duty in civilian clothes. Anyone from your chain of command or another unit can ask to see it, and you need to produce it on the spot.¹ A photo on your phone is better than nothing; a physical copy in your pocket is safer. Soldiers who cannot produce documentation when challenged risk being told to shave immediately or facing corrective action.

The profile is not set-and-forget. At the end of whichever phase you were assigned, you either return to grooming standards or are re-evaluated for another phase.² Phase I means re-evaluation within 30 days, Phase II within 60, Phase III capped at 90 days total. Miss the follow-up and your profile can lapse. During each re-evaluation, the provider decides whether to continue treatment, escalate to the next phase, or return you to daily shaving. If continued accommodation is warranted, a new profile and a new ETP are issued. Every cycle resets the paperwork.

The 12-Month Ceiling You Need to Watch

Here is the piece many soldiers do not hear about until it matters. If your accumulated ETPs for facial hair grooming standards total more than 12 months within any 24-month period, you may be processed for administrative separation.² That clock keeps running across renewals. The directive treats profiles as a bridge back to compliance, and a soldier who cannot get there within roughly a year raises a readiness question the Army now formally addresses.

This makes the treatment plan genuinely consequential. If you are offered Phase IV laser treatment and decline it, you can find yourself running out the 12-month clock with fewer options. If your provider suggests specialty care at Phase III, take it seriously.

What Your Profile Does Not Cover

Facial hair interferes with protective mask seals, and the Army does not make exceptions here. A 2025 Department of Defense memorandum on grooming standards requires personnel to be clean-shaven when deployed to environments with a high threat of chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear attack.³ Your shaving profile does not override that. If your unit enters a heightened CBRN posture, you will be expected to shave regardless of your medical condition, and soldiers who cannot or will not may be flagged as non-deployable in personnel systems.

If Your Reason Is Religious, Not Medical

Religious accommodation follows an entirely separate process with no medical profiles or treatment plans. You notify your immediate commander, orally or in writing, citing your religious beliefs and the specific accommodation you are requesting. Your commander consults with the senior chaplain, obtains a legal review, and forwards the packet to the General Court-Martial Convening Authority, a general officer, who makes the final decision. Beards longer than two inches escalate to the Secretary of the Army at HQDA.⁴ Once approved, you carry a copy of the decision memorandum at all times in uniform, the same as with a medical ETP. Religious accommodations may also be limited to non-deployable roles where chemical attack or firefighting requirements exist.

1
The United States Army. Army Updates Facial Hair Policy to Reinforce Grooming Standards
2
Department of the Army. Army Directive 2025-13 – Facial Hair Grooming Standards
3
Department of War. Grooming Standards for Facial Hair Implementation
4
The Inspector General. IG Update 25-5, Religious Accommodation