Dermaplaning
Treatment
Dermaplaning
The smoothest your skin will feel all month, and the most misunderstood treatment on any menu. I work with oil rather than dry, which changes what it feels like and who it suits.
What dermaplaning actually is
A sterile surgical blade held at an angle against the skin, drawn in short strokes across the surface. It removes two things at once: the layer of dead cells sitting on top, and the fine vellus hair most people call peach fuzz.
Most places do this on completely dry skin. I do not. I work over a layer of facial oil, which is a different experience and, in my hands, a better one. More on why below.
Either way it takes about twenty minutes, it does not hurt, and there is no downtime. Most people describe it as feeling like a soft eraser moving across the face.
What makes it worth doing is not the hair removal. It is that skin without that dead surface layer reflects light differently, holds makeup without catching, and lets everything you apply afterward actually reach living tissue instead of sitting on debris.
The question everyone asks
Will the hair grow back thicker or darker?
No. This is the single most common reason people talk themselves out of dermaplaning, and it is not true.
Your face has vellus hair, which is fine, soft, and pale. What grows in a beard is terminal hair, which is coarse and pigmented. The difference is decided by the follicle and by hormones, not by anything happening at the surface. Cutting a hair does not change the follicle that produced it, so a vellus follicle keeps producing vellus hair.
What does change is the tip. Hair normally tapers to a fine point, and a cut hair has a blunt end, which can feel slightly bristly for a few days as it grows out. It feels different. It is not thicker, and it is not darker.
What it does for your skin
Immediate smoothness and light reflection. This is the real benefit and it is visible the same day. Skin looks brighter because the surface is even enough to reflect light properly rather than scattering it.
Makeup that sits instead of clinging. Foundation stops catching on fine hair and settling into texture. If you wear makeup daily, this is usually the change people notice most.
Better product absorption. Removing the dead layer means your serums are not fighting through it. Anything you use afterward works harder, which is why I pair it with treatment rather than doing it alone.
Softer-looking fine lines. Here I will be precise, because a lot of marketing is not. Dermaplaning improves how fine lines look by smoothing the surface and changing how light falls across it. It is not building collagen and it is not a structural change. The effect is real and it is temporary, which is why it belongs in a rhythm rather than as a one-off.
Results last roughly three to four weeks, which is about how long the skin takes to rebuild that surface layer. That timing is also why it sits naturally alongside the membership rhythm.
Why I dermaplane with oil
Dry dermaplaning is the version most people have had. The blade meets bare skin, there is friction on every stroke, and the exfoliation is more aggressive because of it. It works, and for some skin it is the right choice.
I prefer working over oil. The blade glides instead of dragging, so there is far less friction and far less chance of irritation or micro-abrasion. It is noticeably more comfortable, and it opens the treatment up to skin that could never tolerate the dry version, including reactive, dry, and mature skin.
There is a second benefit. The oil is not just slip. It stays on the skin through the whole pass, conditioning while the blade works, so you leave nourished rather than stripped. Dry dermaplaning can leave skin feeling tight for a day. This does not.
I use my own Glow Renewal Drops for it, which is what you are picking up when your skin feels soft rather than bare afterward.
What happens in the treatment
Cleanse and assess
Skin is cleansed thoroughly and I look at it properly before anything else. If today is not the right day for dermaplaning, I will say so rather than proceed.
The oil layer
Glow Renewal Drops are applied across the face. This is the step that makes the difference: it gives the blade slip, protects the skin from friction, and conditions throughout the treatment rather than after it.
The pass
Skin is held taut and the blade moves in short strokes at a shallow angle, section by section. This is the part clients expect to be nerve-wracking and it is the part they fall asleep during.
Enzyme or treatment layer
With the surface clear, this is the moment product penetrates best. Depending on your skin that might be an enzyme, a hydrating layer, or something corrective. Doing this step now is the whole reason dermaplaning is worth pairing with a facial.
Calm and protect
Hydration, then SPF before you leave. Newly exfoliated skin is more vulnerable to sun, and this is not the step to skip.
Where dermaplaning lives on my menu
I do not sell dermaplaning as a standalone facial, and that is deliberate. On its own it is twenty minutes of exfoliation with nothing following it, which wastes the best part. Included in a treatment, everything after it works better.
Included. Dermaplaning followed by deep hydration, which is the pairing I recommend most and where I start most first visits. If you are booking dermaplaning for an event, book this one.
Included. Dermaplaning first, then radiofrequency for firmness through the jaw and neck. Choose this one when smoothness and lifting are both on your mind.
Available as an add-on to any treatment on the menu when you book through Vagaro. Select your facial, then add dermaplaning at checkout.
Who it suits, and who it does not
A good fit
- Dull, dry, or rough-feeling skin
- Makeup that catches, cakes, or settles into texture
- Noticeable peach fuzz, especially in photographs
- An event, a wedding, or anything being photographed
- Skin too sensitive for acids or strong exfoliation
- Pregnancy, since nothing is absorbed into the body
Not right now
- Active, inflamed, or cystic breakouts in the area
- An active rosacea or eczema flare
- Open lesions, cold sores, or broken skin
- Recent isotretinoin use, which needs a waiting period
- Sunburn or very recent significant sun exposure
- Terminal hair growth, which needs a different approach
If breakouts are your main concern, start here instead. Dermaplaning over active acne can spread bacteria and irritate inflamed skin, and I will tell you plainly if that is what I am seeing rather than proceeding anyway.
Afterward
- SPF every day without exception, since the fresh surface burns more easily
- Skip acids, retinol, and scrubs for three days
- No waxing, threading, or at-home exfoliation for a week
- Keep the routine simple and hydrating for the first few days
- Avoid heavy sweating, saunas, and steam for twenty-four hours
- Expect a slightly bristly feel around day five as hair grows out, which passes
Every three to four weeks is the natural rhythm, matching how long the surface takes to rebuild. More often than that is not better and can leave skin sensitized.
Questions I get asked
Does it hurt?
No. There is no heat, no chemical, and no needle. Most people describe a light scraping sensation that is closer to relaxing than uncomfortable. Several have fallen asleep.
What is the difference between oil and dry dermaplaning?
Dry is done on bare skin, with more friction and a more aggressive exfoliation. Oil dermaplaning uses a facial oil so the blade glides, which means less irritation, more comfort, and skin that leaves conditioned rather than tight. I work with oil, which is why clients with reactive or dry skin can have this treatment when they could not tolerate the dry version elsewhere.
Can I do this at home with a face razor?
You can remove hair at home. You are not doing what happens here. A professional blade, held at the correct angle with skin held taut, removes the dead layer as well, and that is where the result comes from. At-home tools also nick and irritate more often than people admit, and a nick on the face is worth avoiding.
Is there any downtime?
None. Some people have mild pinkness for an hour or two. You can wear makeup the same day, though your skin will look better without it.
How soon before an event should I book?
Two to three days beforehand is ideal. Skin has settled and is at its smoothest. I would not book the morning of anything important, simply because I prefer a margin.
Is it safe during pregnancy?
Generally yes, and it is one of the few exfoliating treatments that is, since nothing is absorbed into the body. Tell me you are pregnant when you book so I can adjust the rest of the facial, and check with your doctor if you have any concerns.
I have dark or coarse facial hair. Is this for me?
Dermaplaning is designed for fine vellus hair. Coarse, pigmented terminal hair will feel stubbly when it grows back, because that hair type genuinely does have a blunt regrowth. Book The Glow Edit and I will tell you honestly whether this is the right treatment for your hair type.
Continue exploring
Book it inside a facial
Golden Hour HydraGlow is where I would start you, with dermaplaning included and hydration layered on top of the freshly cleared surface.
Book Golden Hour HydraGlow Or add dermaplaning to any facial