Dermaplaning: What is it and How Does it Help Your Skin?
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before dermaplaning
several days after dermaplaning, w/makeup on
J. Crew Factory Sherpa Bomber | Kendra Scott Diane Earrings | Madewell Central Shirt in Chambray
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About a week and a half ago, I got dermaplaning done for the first time! I polled y'all on instastories to see if you wanted to learn more about the procedure and over 95% of y'all said YES PLEASE. That is probably the highest percentage my entire following has ever agreed on, so HERE WE GO.
First of all, what is dermaplaning? Dermaplaning is really just exfoliation! Exfoliation with a surgical blade razor that is. Andddd this is where I lose people. Basically a scalpel is carefully run across your face and neck to pick up dead skin cells and yes, all that pesky peach fuzz.
But why would you essentially shave your face?! There are lots of reasons actually! Long story short, it basically gives you a brighter and smoother complexion. Here's an overview of why you might choose to have dermaplaning done:
- increases product penetration - think about it...there aren't any hairs or dead skin in the way. Your anti-aging and skincare regimen can really get to work!
- removes dirt, oil, and dead skin cells - that's what the razor is doing. When it removes the peach fuzz, it is actually for more than just an aesthetic reason. It is beneficial, because those soft hairs can actually trap dirt, oil, and other things you don't want on your face.
- reduces appearances of imperfections. it can help anything from acne scars, to fine lines, and even hyperpigmentation. yes to this!
- eases makeup application - peach fuzz could cause your makeup to cake in certain areas, but once the hair is gone, your makeup goes on smoother!
- brightens complexion - you're actually removing dull skin, so of course your face is going to look more alive!
- tightens loose skin - by removing the top portion of the skin (the dead part obviously), it stimulates the deeper tissues and actually aids in increasing collagen!
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MY DERMAPLANING DETAILS
This was my second time seeing Amanda at Eleven Wellness in Dallas. She was recommended by my friend Jourdan of Beauty&Her! I have started seeing her every 8ish weeks, as part of my skincare/me goals for this year. She did a whole treatment on me, not just dermaplaning. We did the dermaplaning first and then did some other things to zap out any bacteria, in addition to some red light therapy. I'm probably explaining it all wrong, but my point was that it was more than just a shave and a haircut ;)
WHAT WAS MY INITIAL REACTION?
I honestly felt like a baby seal! It was such an interesting experience. I could suddenly feel things that I hadn't before - like the temperature of my hair when it brushed on my face, which was COLD by the way. Putting on makeup was a really weird phenomenon, because when I'd brush on powder, it was almost like the top layer of skin was "waking up", like it had been numbed or something? Another thing that was also a new experience was how slippery my neck was. I didn't realize how much baby hair was on there! When I was showering, all I could think of was WOW! Another thing I did was get reallllly close to the mirror and examine my skin. I was honestly amazed at how smooth my skin looked. (and felt) The hair really did give a texture that I hadn't noticed before!
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FAQ - I took these from questions y'all asked me on Instagram! Feel free to comment at the end of the post if you have other questions I didn't cover!
Did it hurt? Nope! Not at all. It is non-invasive.
How much does it cost? $150-$200. I've had people tell me that you can find it cheaper on Groupon, but honestly, I don't think I'm willing to risk my face on a Groupon if that makes sense.
How often can you get it? My esthetician said that people can get it every 6-8 weeks, but she prefers to do it every 16 weeks.
What is the recovery time? 0! You can walk out and you are ready for the day or night. I mentioned that I had done dermaplaning to a co-worker the next day and she was like "oh! you had it last night?!" There's literally no downtime.
Does your hair grow back thicker? Darker? Stubblier? Nope. This is an old wives' tale. I actually found that out from fellow blogger Elle Sees several years ago. Up until then, I thought the rumor was true!
How long did it take? The dermaplaning itself took about 25-30 minutes, but I had a couple of other procedures done, so my facial was an hour.
When does the hair grow back? I began noticing some hair on my chin and lip firs, probably 4-5 days after the procedure. 8 days later I noticed some baby hairs on my cheeks, etc.
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MY OVERALL THOUGHTS
CONS:
- smile lines - I feel like it made my smile lines, aka wrinkles around my mouth, more prominent, in my opinion. I don't think it actually did this I've just always had some peach fuzz around my mouth, so I didn't ever notice it.
- dry nose - This is fairly normal. My nose was slightly peely for a couple of days but nothing horrible.
- some spots - I did notice a couple of bumps pop up on my forehead, but nothing crazy or really bad.
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PROS:
- forehead - My forehead looked the most youthful I have ever seen it, besides baby photos ;) Any fine lines I had previously seen were/are gone!
- smootheness - The obvious answer, but yes! My fave is smoother and brighter!
- hormonal chin acne - I will often get that hormonal acne on the right side of my chin. There's always a spot there - it doesn't ever seem to go away. BUT since dermaplaning, it has actually lightened and is almost gone!
- makeup application - I didn't notice that much of a difference with my powders and such, but what I did notice was that lipstick was easier to apply! Like WAY easier. I noticed a huge difference here. I guess those tiny hairs around my mouth were more than just aesthetically annoying;)
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TIPS
- Wear Sunscreen - You should already being wearing sunscreen daily, but if you're not, be sure to at least wear it after dermaplaning. And noooo not just the sunscreen in your foundation. Your skin is more sensitive at this time, especially to sunlight. I love using SuperGoop! Unseen Sunscreen.
- Don't Exfoliate - You just had a pretty big skincare procedure done to exfoliate, so no need to exfoliate for a while. It's not just things labeled exfoliators either. I didn't use my night time serum or oils for 3 days, to try and give my skin some space. Shy away from things with acids - even natural ones, for several days as well.
- Tinkel Razors - Some people will use these razors once a week, just to keep the peach fuzz off. This really is only scratching the surface of what an esthetician can do, but is budget friendly and offers you a more frequent answer to the unwanted peach fuzz. Personally, I think I'll leave it up to the professionals, but I know people have success doing it themselves.
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So would I do it again? Yes! What do you think? Would you try it?
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