Though dermaplaning has been around for a few decades, it seems to be taking the internet and our social feeds by storm in recent years. Some boast that the practice is the secret behind the glowing skin of many celebrities, while others claim that it could leave you with thick, dark hair on your face. So what is the truth? And what is a dermaplaning facial, exactly? As with anything, you can’t always trust what you read on the internet, so we asked Enchanted’s Medical Aesthetician, Angie Hughes, and here’s what she had to say.
What is Dermaplaning?
Put simply, dermaplaning is a skin that uses a sharp dermaplaning tool to remove the small, fine hairs on your face gently. Typically the sharp tool is a 10-inch surgical scalpel that curves into a sharp point and is designed to be used on the clean, dry skin of your forehead, cheeks, chin, nose, and neck. Your aesthetician will use the scalpel to very gently scrape the surface of your face in light, feathering strokes to remove any hair. Despite sounding dangerous, the entire procedure is virtually painless. However, some side effects may occur, such as slight redness or irritation to the skin. Most clients experience no adverse effects or events during or after the treatment.
Benefits of Dermaplaning
Aside from the obvious removal of hair, dermaplaning actually provides a number of benefits to clients. First, the gentle scraping of the surface of your skin acts as a physical exfoliant and removes dead skin in addition to hair. As we all well know, dead skin, along with dirt and oil, can clog pores resulting in breakouts, so another benefit of dermaplaning is hairless skin is some of the cleanest skin. Because there is no hair to trap dirt, oil, and other debris clinging to your face, your skin will be cleaner after a dermaplaning facial which helps prevent future breakouts and allows other products to penetrate more deeply into the skin. However, if you have an active breakout or suffer from severe acne, Angie warns that a dermaplaning facial may not be the best option for you as “the process of dermaplaning can actually end up overstimulating the skin and may worsen active breakouts.”
Dermaplaning also has anti-aging effects, as the removal of dead skin reduces the appearance of fine lines, hyperpigmentation, and acne scars. In addition, you will experience improvements in your skin’s texture and specific skin tone and walk away with a dewy glow and skin that is silky smooth to the touch. As a result, makeup will glide on evenly and flawlessly.
Angie also recommends booking a dermaplaning facial prior to undergoing any laser treatments. After the hair is removed, the laser treatment will not reflect off the hair and will be able to penetrate the skin better, making the treatment more effective.
The results of dermaplaning can last up to four weeks as the process removes about three weeks of dead skin from the surface of your face. However, your skin is constantly turning over, so you will need to be consistent in booking follow-up treatments 4 weeks apart to maintain your results.
Fortunately, nearly anyone can benefit from and utilize dermaplaning treatments apart from those with actively inflamed acne, as mentioned above. Outside of that, anyone seeking hair removal or exfoliation can add dermaplaning to their skincare routine. It can be a particularly great option for those who are unable to use certain products or other exfoliating treatments, including pregnant women or individuals suffering from sensitive skin.
Dermaplaning Myths
Unfortunately, there is a lot of misinformation available to patients and consumers, which can make dermaplaning sound intimidating. So Angie addressed five of the most common myths circulating to help educate clients on dermaplaning.
Your Peach Fuzz Will Grow Back Darker & Thicker – This is probably the most common myth we see in regards to not only dermaplaning but shaving in general. So many of us have been told that removing the hair from our legs and underarms results in the hair growing back darker and thicker than before, leaving us all with deep-seated fears of unsightly hair. Let us put this rumor to bed once and for all. It is not possible for hairs to grow back thicker simply because you shaved. The process in and of itself creates a blunt tip on the hair where you cut it at the thicker base next to the surface of the skin. Now we’ll admit that this blunt edge of the hair can appear thicker compared to the tapered tip that was present before, but it is not physically larger. Just as with shaving, the process of dermaplaning removes very, very fine hair called vellus hair, which is so thin and soft that removing it will have no noticeable impact on the perceived thickness of the hair on your face. Rather removing the vellus hair will instantly leave your skin feeling and looking smoother and brighter.
It is Painful – We touched on this earlier, but dermaplaning is essentially painless for most people. And, in fact, the actual process feels much like shaving. But compared to other methods of hair removal, such as waxing, threading, and sugaring, dermaplaning feels more like a gentle tickle or brushing sensation as opposed to inducing any sort of pain.
It Will Cause Breakouts – Though as we mentioned, dermaplaning should not be performed on any skin with active acne as a treatment of acne. However, when used as a preventative measure, it is very effective in reducing the likelihood of future breakouts. By removing the dead skin on the surface of your face, dermaplaning prevents it from getting trapped inside your pores, causing infection and leading to acne. Plus, by sloughing away dirt and debris, dermaplaning also makes it easier for acne treatments and serums to penetrate deeper into your skin which also helps prevent future acne.
It Can’t Be Done on Darker Skin – Unlike some other exfoliation methods, such as scrubs that are not recommended for darker skin, dermaplaning is absolutely safe for all skin types and shades. Even though the process is considered a manual exfoliation as a facial scrub, it does not cause micro-abrasions on the skin as a scrub can. Dermaplaning can actually be an incredibly effective exfoliation method for darker skin as it instantly removes the dark hairs that can make the skin look duller than it really is. How often should you exfoliate your face? Read the related blog to find out!
It is Time Consuming – Though this is a subjective rumor, we tend to believe that 30 minutes isn’t too long to spend getting a procedure that will have results lasting up to four weeks. And given that you will only need to schedule an appointment once per month for lasting results, that doesn’t seem like an excessive amount of time to be spending on a single procedure.
So You Want to Try Dermaplaning… Now What?
Now that we have busted some of the most common myths about dermaplaning and you actually understand what it is and the wonderful things it can do for your skin, it is no wonder you are ready to book an appointment as soon as possible. But before you do, there are a few more important things you should understand. First, dermaplaning should only be done by a licensed Aesthetician who’s trained in the procedure.
As far as cost, dermaplaning on its own can cost upwards of $100 per treatment. At Enchanted Medical Aesthetics, dermaplaning is only $50 and can be added to our facial services.
After your dermaplaning, it is recommended that you apply sunscreen to your face prior to you leaving the office. The exfoliation that occurs will leave your skin more sensitive to the sun, and you need to take extra care to protect it for the few days following the treatment. Hopefully, it’s already a part of your daily routine.
Angie notes that she especially “loves dermaplaning for dry skin and for removing peach fuzz.” Angie recommends her clients try dermaplaning at least once so they can experience the immediate effects for themselves. “Once you see it work right before your eyes, it is impossible to deny how wonderful dermaplaning is, and you will be hooked.”
