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ROUTINE

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INFO CNO WASHINGTON DC

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NAVADMIN 231/19

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INFO CNO WASHINGTON DC//N1//

MSGID/GENADMIN/CNO WASHINGTON DC/N1/OCT//

SUBJ/BUPERSINST 1000.22C MANAGEMENT OF NAVY UNIFORMED PERSONNEL DIAGNOSED 
WITH PSEUDOFOLLICULITIS BARBAE (PFB)//

REF/A/MSG/COMNAVSAFECEN NORFOLK VA/261941Z NOV18//

REF/B/DOC/BUPERS/27DEC04//

REF/C/DOC/MILPERSMAN 1900-120/9NOV18//

NARR/REF A IS ALSAFE MESSAGE 18/008, FACE SEAL GUIDANCE UPDATE.
REF B IS BUPERSINST 1000.22B, MANAGEMENT AND DISPOSITION OF NAVY PERSONNEL 
WITH PSEUDOFOLLICULITIS BARBAE (PFB).  REF C IS MILPERSMAN 1900-120, 
SEPARATION BY REASON OF CONVENIENCE OF THE GOVERNMENT - MEDICAL CONDITIONS 
NOT AMOUNTING TO A DISABILITY.//

RMKS/1.  This NAVADMIN announces the release of BUPERSINST 1000.22C, 
Management of Navy Uniformed Personnel Diagnosed with Pseudofolliculitis 
Barbae (PFB), which supersedes reference (b).  The purpose of this updated 
instruction is to provide policy and guidance to ensure personnel safety and 
mission readiness of Service members diagnosed with PFB and to minimize the 
potential for any increase in the risks to mission and force.  This update 
comes as the Navy is continuing to grow the size of the force and must work 
to retain every skilled Sailor while maximizing their personal readiness.  
This update also includes the most current Bureau of Medicine and Surgery 
(BUMED) approved PFB treatment options which allow affected Service members 
to better manage shaving related skin conditions throughout their naval 
service.  Affected Service Members are provided the opportunity to receive 
varying treatment regimens based off either an initial diagnosis or re-
diagnosis with the intent of returning to, or maintaining, a routine shaving 
regimen.  The dynamic nature of career and movement of a Service Member from 
command to command requires proactive treatment management from both the 
command and the individual to ensure expeditious and uninterrupted Service 
Member readiness.

2.  PFB is caused when tightly curled beard hairs, sharpened by shaving, 
curve back and re-enter the skin, resulting in facial inflammation, bumps and 
infections.  While not considered a major medical condition, it primarily 
affects males and can potentially increase the risk for a safety hazard if 
not properly addressed or treated.

3.  In 2018, the Naval Safety Center reviewed and reissued a safety advisory 
on the effects of facial hair on the efficiency of face seals of breathing 
protection devices.  Reference (a) re-emphasized the previous findings which 
concluded that facial hair represents a significant safety risk to the 
Service Member and subsequent risk to shipmates who are dependent upon the 
ability of every crew member to perform their duties.  The report confirmed 
facial hair in an operational environment minimizes personnel safety and 
readiness as well as adds risk to mission and risk to force.

4.  The following major policy improvements are contained within this 
revision:
    (a) PFB Evaluations.  Service Members suffering from facial irritation 
after shaving will be referred to a health care provider for evaluation, 
diagnosis and treatment.  Health care providers, in coordination with 
commanding officers (CO), will prescribe a treatment regimen aimed at 
returning the Service Member to normal grooming standards.  COs, in 
coordination with the chain of command of the Service Member, will ensure 
compliance and that the Service Member understands the requirements of the 
prescribed treatment regimen.  Prescribed treatment regimens may include 
periods of no shaving which may be interrupted when operational, maintenance 
and training requirements or assigned duties necessitate the removal of 
facial hair/shaving, as determined by the CO.
    (b) Permanent No-Shave Waivers.  Because of the safety risks that facial 
hair introduces in operational, training and maintenance environments and 
taking into account that proper treatment can in most cases help Service 
Members manage their PFB, *permanent no- shave waivers* are no longer 
authorized.  Service Members previously issued a *permanent no-shave waiver* 
will obtain a medical re- evaluation and new treatment regimen within 6 
months of the release of the revised BUPERSINST 1000.22C.  Service Members 
assigned to a region or on deployment where PFB re-evaluations and treatments 
are not available are temporarily exempt from the 6-month re-evaluation 
requirement, and will follow the guidance of their CO for shaving until re-
evaluation and treatment are available.  At no time will hair growth exceed 
one-quarter of an inch between directed shaving periods.
    (c) Medical and Laser Treatment Failures.  Service Members with PFB who 
have been medically determined to be non-responsive to initial medical and 
laser treatments will be re-evaluated annually to determine suitability for 
continued treatment and return to normal grooming standards as directed by 
their health care provider or medical treatment facility.  Annual re-
evaluations provide for skin texture changes that normally occur as Service 
Members age and become more susceptible to PFB treatments.  In such 
instances, a modified grooming routine will be established and approved by 
the CO.  However, the maximum authorized facial hair length of one- quarter 
of an inch still applies.
    (d)  CO Authority.  If the operational, training and maintenance 
conditions require, the CO may direct under such circumstances, daily shaving 
until the situation permits return to the prescribed PFB medical treatment.  
CO directed interruptions to prescribed shaving regimens must account for the 
ability of an individual Service Member to continue duties and 
responsibilities in order to ensure compliance with all safety policies and 
requirements.

5.  PFB affected Service Members unable to obtain a medical evaluation or a 
treatment regimen for any situation not covered by this instruction will 
follow a modified grooming routine established by their CO.  In such cases, 
the maximum allowable facial hair growth between shaving periods will be one-
quarter of an inch.

6.  Administrative requirements for the management of Service Members with 
PFB will be implemented in line with BUPERSINST 1000.22C and reference (c).

7.  Questions and comments regarding this NAVADMIN should be addressed to 
CAPT George Doyon, OPNAV N131, at george.doyon1@navy.mil or Mr. Robert B. 
Carroll, OPNAV N13X, at robert.b.carroll@navy.mil.

8.  Released by Vice Admiral John B. Nowell, Jr, N1.//

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