There is no shortage of weird skin care trends out there. From nightmare-inducing sheet masks to rose quartz crystal face massagers, it seems like there’s a new tool, gadget, or method to try to achieve your “best skin ever" every five seconds. And while many beauty fads come and go, one that has stayed relevant and popular is dermaplaning, a practice that can be more commonly described as shaving your face.
If you have never heard of dermaplaning before or seen a video of your favorite skin care influencer shaving their face with a single-blade razor on your social media feed, here’s how it works: Dermaplaning is the process of taking a 10-gauge scalpel to shave layers of dead skin and dirt of the surface of your face. While men have been shearing their mugs for as long as we can remember and women have used a razor on nearly every other inch of our bodies, the idea of shaving our own faces is still a frightening one. Kerry Benjamin, founder of Stacked Skincare and dermaplaning expert, strongly believes the reason this is is simply because it’s a totally misunderstood concept. In Benjamin’s opinion, dermaplaning is the most effective and efficient way to exfoliate, brighten, and de-congest your face.
Benjamin spoke with Bustle to finally set the record straight about dermaplaning. Here are five of the commonly-believed myths about dermaplaning that are absolutely untrue.
1. Dermaplaning Will Cause Your Hair To Grow Back Darker
Of all the myths, this one is arguably the most misunderstood, says Benjamin. “This is a total myth, and one I hope goes away forever soon,” she tells Bustle. “Your hair will grow back exactly the same color and thickness as it was previously. You can’t change the structure of your hair follicle by simply shaving your hair off.”
Benjamin believes this myth exists mostly because women with darker complexion have darker vellus hair (aka peach fuzz) and most of the time, they won’t notice it because they’ve never removed their facial hair before. “After the hair grows back, it seems like it is darker, but that is not the case. It’s simply that after dermaplaning, because you are removing the dead layer of skin and vellus hair, your skin will appear much brighter than you’ve experienced in the past, and then after the regrowth, it seems darker. This is just your eye tricking you,” she explains.
Another reason to dermaplane? There is no risk of hyperpigmentation for women with deeper skin tones and darker hair, unlike waxing and laser hair removal.
2. Dermaplaning Will Cause Your Hair To Grow Back Thicker
This myth makes no sense to Benjamin — how could shaving your peach fuzz change the structure of your hair follicle? You’re cutting the hair off on the surface level of your skin, without even affecting the actual follicle. “Hair grows at a blunt edge, so if you touch your face often, you may feel that hair growth coming back in and think that it is thicker, but that is not the case. Once the hair has fully grown back in, it will look and feel exactly the same as before," Benjamin explains.
3. Dermaplaning Is Super Painful
“Dermaplaning is totally pain free,” assures Benjamin. In fact, it’s way less painful than waxing, lasering, or threading. “You use light feather strokes to remove the dead skin and peach fuzz. It is not abrasive or painful at all.” It’s is safe for all skin types, with the exception of those with acne, says Benjamin. If you have a lot of acne, Benjamin suggests avoiding dermaplaning as you could cut yourself and spread bacteria.
4. Dermaplaning Will Cause Breakouts
The truth is the exact opposite — not only will dermaplaning not cause breakouts, it will actually prevent them from happening. “By exfoliating the dead skin, [dermaplaning] will help to keep your skin clear,” Benjamin tells Bustle. It will also allow for much better product penetration. With the dead skin cells, oil, and debris removed in the follicle, the active ingredients will absorb quicker and more effectively, speeding up cell turnover and killing more bacteria. “Removing that layer of dead skin with the dermaplaning tool will help to alleviate congestion,” says Benjamin.
5. You Can Use A Regular Razor To Dermaplane
Dermaplaning Tool, $75, Stacked Skincare
While you can use a regular razor to shave your face, you will not get the same results as you would if you used a proper dermaplaning tool, which uses a sharp, single blade. “You will not get nearly the amount of dead skin and peach fuzz removed as you will with a professional dermaplaning treatment.”
If you need some more convincing, here is more information about why dermplaning is a safe and effective way to exfoliate your skin. You might be a few shaves away from your glowiest skin ever — happy shaving!
