Dermaplaning Is Not Just Shaving Your Face. Here’s What It Actually Does

I hear this one a lot. “So dermaplaning is basically just shaving your face, right?” Well...not exactly. Yes, a dermaplaning blade removes the fine vellus hair everyone calls peach fuzz, but if that were the entire point I would tell you to save your money and go buy a razor. Professional dermaplaning is a form of superficial exfoliation. I use a sterile surgical blade to carefully remove dead skin cells from the surface of the skin along with that fine facial hair. The hair removal is a nice bonus, but the exfoliation is really why I like the treatment. And immediately afterward, the skin feels ridiculously smooth. That part is hard not to love.

One of the biggest dermaplaning benefits is removing that buildup of dead surface skin. That can make dull skin look brighter and feel much smoother without using acids or a more aggressive resurfacing treatment. It also gives me a very clean surface to work with if dermaplaning is part of a customized facial. Depending on your skin, I may follow it with other products or treatments that make sense for what we are trying to accomplish. Removing some of that dead surface buildup can also allow topical products to contact the skin more evenly. I am careful with the phrase “better product penetration” because I do not want people to hear that and assume every serum suddenly works ten times better. That is not what I mean. We are removing some of the material sitting on the very surface of the skin, so products applied afterward are not sitting on top of the same layer of dead skin cells.

This is honestly one of the reasons people get hooked on dermaplaning. Foundation tends to sit much more smoothly when it is not catching on peach fuzz and dry surface skin. If your makeup has ever looked strangely textured even though your skin did not feel particularly dry, fine facial hair and surface buildup may be part of what you are seeing. Dermaplaning is one of my favorite treatments before an event for that reason. Your skin looks fresh, feels smooth and makeup usually goes on beautifully. That does not mean I want you dermaplaning the night before your wedding when we have never treated your skin before. Please do not surprise your face right before an important event. I would much rather know how your skin responds first.

We need to put this one to rest. Dermaplaning does not change the structure of your hair follicle. Removing vellus hair at the surface does not make it grow back thicker, darker or suddenly turn into beard hair. It may feel a little different as it grows back because the hair was cut straight across instead of naturally tapering at the end, but the actual hair itself has not become thicker. I promise I am not secretly creating a generation of bearded women in Bentonville.

This part matters. Because dermaplaning looks gentle, people sometimes forget that I am still removing part of the outermost layer of dead skin cells. Your skin may feel amazing afterward, but that does not mean I want to pile every active ingredient you own onto it that evening. I usually want patients to keep things simple afterward. Gentle cleansing, moisturizer, hydration and sunscreen. Your skin should not have to prove how tough it is. This also means I am looking at what you have been doing before your appointment. If you have been aggressively exfoliating at home, using strong actives every night or your skin barrier is irritated, dermaplaning may not be the treatment I choose that day.

This is another reason I want to see the skin before I automatically perform the treatment. If you have a lot of inflamed active acne, especially raised or irritated breakouts, I do not want to drag a blade across them. Besides being uncomfortable, we do not need to create more irritation in already inflamed skin.

I am also cautious with skin that is sunburned, actively irritated, has open areas, active infections or a barrier that is clearly struggling. Certain inflammatory skin conditions may also mean we need to postpone dermaplaning or choose something else depending on what is happening at that moment. Basically, if your face is already angry, I am probably not going to introduce it to a surgical blade just because you booked a dermaplane facial.

Having acne-prone skin does not automatically mean you can never dermaplane. The important part is what your acne looks like right now. If someone has a few closed comedones or occasional breakouts, that is very different from someone with widespread inflamed acne. I am looking at the actual skin instead of making a blanket rule based on the word acne. Sometimes dermaplaning fits beautifully into a treatment plan. Sometimes we need to work on calming the acne first. Again, skin rarely cares what we planned to do when you made the appointment two weeks ago.

If someone tells me they want a glowing skin treatment and they mainly feel dull, rough or like their makeup is sitting badly, dermaplaning is definitely something I consider. The glow is mostly coming from removing dull surface buildup and creating a smoother surface that reflects light more evenly. It is not magic and it is not permanently changing your skin in one appointment. But the immediate smoothness is real, and for the right patient the difference can be pretty satisfying.

Not necessarily. Some people love incorporating a dermaplane facial into their routine regularly. Other people only want one before events or occasionally when their skin feels dull and rough. I do not think every patient needs to be put on the same treatment calendar. How often we do it depends on your skin, your goals, what other treatments you are receiving and how your skin responds. I would much rather have a reason for doing something than tell you that every face in Northwest Arkansas needs dermaplaning every four weeks forever.

I like it because it is simple when it is used correctly. It gives beautiful superficial exfoliation, removes facial fuzz, makes the skin feel incredibly smooth and can fit nicely into a more customized treatment without automatically turning the appointment into something aggressive. It can also pair well with other services when the skin is appropriate for it. That does not mean I automatically stack treatments on top of one another. I still want to know why we are adding each step. More treatment does not automatically mean a better facial. Sometimes a really well chosen simple treatment gives you exactly what you wanted. If you are looking for dermaplaning in Bentonville AR, a dermaplane facial in Bentonville or simply want a treatment for smoother, brighter looking skin, I offer customized aesthetic treatments at my Bentonville studio. You do not have to know exactly what you need before you come in. I would rather look at your skin first and make sure the treatment actually makes sense for you.