Kayla Young
Though dermaplaning has been around for decades, it has become a lot more popular in the last few years. And with the increase of dermaplaning tools for home use and its new-found popularity on social media, it’s become more popular for home use.
In this article, we are going to look at dermaplaning, what it is, its pros and cons, and answer the question – how often should you dermaplane?
With a whopping 1.9 billion views of dermaplaning videos on Tik Tok alone, this latest trend has everyone talking about dermaplaning, which is touted as a must-try facial hair removal method with skin rejuvenating benefits.
Let’s take a look!
Contents
What Is Dermaplaning?
Dermaplaning is essentially just a fancy word for face shaving, with a few notable differences.
Rather than using a regular razor a guy would use to shave his face, or a disposable razor you might use to shave your legs, dermaplaning uses what’s often referred to as a dermaplaning tool, or dermaplaning razor.
A dermaplaning razor has only one blade.
It’s more like shaving with a straight razor, or rather, a scalpel. It’s a much smaller blade than a straight razor which offers a lot more control over the contoured areas of the face.
Here’s a few examples of popular dermaplaning tools.
Dermaplaning is similar to shaving in that it removes unwanted hair.
But because of the dermaplaning tool, it’s a closer shave that offers other benefits to your face, over and above just hair removal.
How Often Should You Dermaplane?
You can, indeed, have too much of a good thing!
You should aim to dermaplane about once every four weeks. That frequency is enough to reap the benefits (see below) while keeping your skin safe from irritation and over-exfoliation (see below as well!).
There are no issues with using a mild facial scrub for exfoliating in between dermaplaning sessions.
Dermaplaning is not only removing hair, but dead skin cells.
You need to give you skin time to regenerate.
Dermaplaning on skin that is ‘too new’ can cause redness, irritation, and skin sensitivity.
The Benefits of Dermaplaning
Removes facial hair
Dermaplaning is essentially like shaving your face. It quickly and effectively removes unwanted facial hair.
Painless
When comparing dermaplaning to other hair removal methods, like tweezing or waxing, dermaplaning is by far a much more painless experience (unless you cut yourself).
Exfoliating
Even if you employ a good skincare routine with regular exfoliation, your skin can still retain some gunk. Dirt, oil, product residue, environmental buildup, dead skin cells, etc can all clog up pores and lead to acne.
This can make skin feel rough and look textured, especially when applying makeup.
Dermaplaning goes that extra step beyond hair removal to eliminate skin surface buildup to make your skin smoother and softer almost instantly.
Can help minimize acne scars
By stripping the top layer of the skin, dermaplaning can reduce the appearance of acne scars by removing discoloration and the uneven texture of scar tissue.
Allows for better product absorption
When you dermaplane your face, you are removing the top layer of dead skin cells, as well as product and environmental build-up. You’re generating a fresh canvas that allows for deeper skincare product penetration. You will get the most out of your facial treatments and skincare products, and makeup.
Boosts collagen production
Because dermaplaning accelerates skin cell renewal, this, in turn, increases collagen production, resulting in glowing, younger-looking skin.
Reduces the appearance of fine lines
When the top layer of dead skin cells is removed, those cells that were contributing to fine lines are removed.
Hooray!
You are left with smoother skin.
Self Confidence
Facial hair can grow darker or longer on some women than others, depending on ethnicity, genetics, body chemistry, and hormone levels.
Facial hair can also grow differently in different areas.
A woman may have more noticeable facial hair on the upper lip, the chin, or the sides of the face, for example.
Feeling self-conscious about facial hair can affect how you interact with others and negatively impact your everyday life.
Dermaplaning is a quick, painless, and effective way of removing facial hair and eliminating the negative self issues it can cause, which in turn boosts self-confidence.
The Drawbacks of Dermaplaning
Results aren’t as long-lasting as other hair removal methods
Unlike other methods of hair removal,like waxing, threating, epilating, or tweezing, dermaplaning does not fully remove hair from its follicle.
Hairs will grow back sooner, though no thicker or darker than usual.
Can be expensive
Though very cost-effective if you are dermaplaning at home, not everyone might be comfortable using a sharp scalpel on their face.
Getting dermaplaning done at the salon can turn out to be quite expensive.
Nicks & cuts
Dermaplaning carries the risk of nicks, cuts, and accidents. On your face. Oh oh.
You are scraping a blade across your skin, after all. Any open cut has the potential to become infected.
Dryness, redness, and itching
If you have dry skin, dermaplaning may dry it out further and be uncomfortable. It may also cause redness, flaking, and itching.
Moisturizing immediately afterward should help to avoid this.
Results may differ
Everyone’s skin is different. And dermaplaning may offer more noticeable exfoliating results for some than others.
These difference in success can dependent on things like age, skin condition, and skin thickness.
Can Anyone Dermaplane?
Dermaplaning is not right for everyone.
Dermaplaning should be avoided if you have active cystic acne, flaring rosacea, cold sores, or an inflammatory skin condition like eczema or psoriasis.
Dermaplaning is likely to exacerbate those conditions, and it could lead to other skin problems.
If you use fake tan, dermaplaning will not cause any harm. But you will lose your tan much more quickly.
Because dermaplaning exfoliates and removes that top layer of ‘tanned’ dead skin cells, you will lose most of your tan along with those cells being removed.
Conclusion
If you don’t have any skin conditions mentioned above and want to remove facial hair with the added benefits of smoother, brighter, and more youthful-looking skin, dermaplaning may be a great addition to your skincare routine.
Good luck!
