We don’t have to go far these days to find articles from people who say that a dermaplaning treatment makes their hair grow back thicker, faster, darker…. There are all sorts of reasons for why people may think this, but we’ll take a look at it in more depth.

Dermaplaning Explained

Dermaplaning is a process where peach fuzz is removed from the face, by the use of a scalpel blade. The dead skin cells in the top layers of the skin are also removed, allowing for better penetration of products if the treatment is followed by microneedling and or mesotherapy. Dermaplaning is also a good first step in a chemical peel procedure, as the top layers are removed. This allows the peel to work better, without having to find its’ way through the surface dead skin cells.

Benefits of dermaplaning also include soft, smooth and glowing skin, allowing the smooth flawless appearance that comes with application of make up.

Myth 1 – Dermaplaning Hurts

Dermaplaning shouldn’t hurt. It’s far less painful than waxing, sugaring, threading or plucking. Pictures of surgical aestheticians in PPE, with sharps bins and blue barrier tape on surfaces, and handling a tool with a sharp scalpel, can instill a basic fear that dermaplaning might be painful.

When we break it down, dermaplaning is a shaving technique and one of the least painful methods of hair and dead skin removal. Shaving our legs doesn’t hurt, unless we nick the skin with the blade. Dermaplaning is the same. Having our faces shaved is simply something that men have been doing safely for hundreds, maybe thousands of years, without the PPE. The difference with dermaplaning, is that we tend to treat women and cover the whole face instead of just the beard area. We remove the hard to see vellus hair (peach fuzz) and treat softer areas of skin.

You will feel a soft scratching and some light pulling while dermaplaning is being performed, but it’s a relaxing procedure for most people.

Myth 2 – Peach Fuzz Grows Back Thicker/Darker/Beardy

This is simply not true. Dermaplaning cuts the hair, and does not involve any damage to the follicle of the hair. When we dermaplane peach fuzz and don’t maintain the procedure, the hair might feel blunt to begin with as you feel the cut edge rather than a rounded end.

By the time peach fuzz has fully grown back in, it will be the same as it was before the dermaplaning procedure. Shaving will not make any difference to how thick hair grows back, or how dark. For some people, the hair will grow back again quickly, for others it may take a few weeks, and for a few, it may take longer.

Myth 3 – Dermaplaning Takes Too Long

Again, this isn’t necessarily true. The actual dermaplane part of a treatment lasts from a few minutes to 20 minutes, as the therapist works around your face. A full dermaplane facial will last for approximately 45 minutes to an hour, depending on the content of the facial.

Myth 4 – Dermaplaning Causes Spots

We don’t carry out dermaplaning facials on skin with active breakouts. The exfoliation part of dermaplaning is removing the surface dead skin cells and will help prevent future breakouts by helping to unclog pores in those upper layers. As the upper cells are removed, there is less risk of future breakouts. Dermaplaning does not have the ability to prevent future active breakouts, however it does help reduce the frequency when combined with a regular routine for acne prone skin.

Myth 5 – At Home Dermaplaning is as Good as a Professional Treatment

Professional medical grade scalpels will give very different results to a razor that you buy and wield yourself. When it comes to the face, there are many contours and delicate, soft areas to treat. With that, comes the risk of not manipulating the skin properly at home, or not properly being able to see the areas that you intend to dermaplane. A trained dermaplaning technician is also removing the top layers of dead skin, which cannot be done with any regular blade, as the scalpel is required to go deeper than simply cutting the hair. Salon products will also be medical grade for the best results.

Conclusion

Dermaplaning helps us maintain a healthy glowing skin and with regular maintenance, will help reduce the appearance of pigmentation and fine lines and wrinkles.