Navy will no longer offer permanent shaving waivers for sailors with razor bumps

WASHINGTON—The Navy will no longer issue permanent shaving waivers for sailors diagnosed with razor bumps because whiskers can hinder the effectiveness of breathing devices, the service announced Friday.

“First and foremost, this change is about safety of our sailors and reducing the risk to mission and risk to force,” Rear Adm. Jeffrey Jablon, director of the Navy’s military personnel plans and policy division, told reporters Wednesday at the headquarters for the Navy’s chief of personnel in Arlington, Va.

Pseudofolliculitis barbae, or more commonly known as razor bumps, is caused when curly beard hair curves back into the skin after being shaved, causing inflammation. Servicemembers are required to shave every day, so troops susceptible to razor bumps will be affected, Lt. Cmdr. Adam Cole, a spokesman for the chief of navy personnel, wrote in an email.

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