Home Dermaplaning With Steph

Our friend, blogger Steph Viatos from Beauty Guru has shared her article on the latest exfoliation craze, dermaplaning. Dermaplaning gently removes dead skin and the tiny fluffy blonde hairs from the face, leaving skin super smooth and glowing. Best of all, there are no chemicals or harsh exfoliants involved.

“I stumbled across Dermaplaning on my quest to deal with my peach fuzz – the light blonde vellus facial hair that gets in the way of smooth makeup application. Since becoming pregnant, mine had grown alarmingly, and I decided it was time to take action.After some in-depth research I discovered that dermaplaning is an excellent way to remove the tiny blonde hairs, and best of all, due to their texture and colour, they don’t grow back stubbly, darker or thicker. Dermaplaning also effectively removes dead skin cells, giving the skin a pretty intense manual exfoliation in the process.

Many beauty salons and clinics offer Dermaplaning for around $100 per session. There’s no doubt you would get a more dramatic result from a qualified therapist – the blades are sharper and the technique they use is more sophisticated than anything you could achieve by yourself at home.

Ideally, Dermaplaning needs to be repeated every 4-6 weeks to maintain results, so I opted for a home version to keep costs down and to give me the flexibility to do my treatments when I need them (especially knowing that come December baby will be here and taking up most of mama’s grooming time!). That said, I am keen to treat myself to a salon treatment at some stage.

HOW IT WORKS

Using a small sharp blade and short, gentle strokes over the face, dermaplaning removes dead skin cells and peach fuzz from the upper layer of the skin, revealing plump, fresh new skin cells underneath. Essentially, it is like shaving your face with a better blade and deeper exfoliation results. Worth noting: using a regular razor doesn’t do the same thing. Dermaplaning is much more precise.

BENEFITS OF DERMAPLANING

•    Gentle manual removal of dead, dry skin
•    Instant radiance boost and smoother skin appearance
•    Better absorption of topical skincare
•    Removal of peach fuzz, giving skin a super smooth texture
•    Makeup glides on and looks incredible after treatment

MY EXPERIENCE

Naturally, I was somewhat hesitant to apply a sharp blade to my face, so I did my research before purchasing. There are plenty of cheap blade options available on eBay etc., but I was keen to invest in something safe and reliable. I was tempted by the high-end Dermaflash but opted for the Stacked Skincare Dermaplaning Tool – complete with a safety guard to avoid cuts. I also purchased a blade refill pack in the hope that I would have success with my exfoliation mission. Both products plus shipping set me back around NZD$200.

As per the instructions, I cleansed and dried my face carefully, and after watching this instructional video from Stacked Skincare, I started by making some small strokes over my cheekbones. To my pleasure, I could see straight away that the blade was picking up dry skin and vellus hair. The blade felt comfortable on my skin, although it felt slightly scratchy which is to be expected. I was careful to keep it at a 45-degree angle and use light pressure only. It did take me a little while to get the hang of the technique, something which I will no doubt get better at with practice.

I was amazed at how much vellus hair the blade removed from the sides of my face – finally, smooth skin! My forehead must have been particularly dry as I could see the dead skin coming off as I worked the blade over that area. I was cautious around my hairline, brows, and eye area, and I opted not to do my upper lip. The whole process took me around fifteen minutes, and that was with a lot of stopping and checking in the mirror.

Important note: you should never dermaplane over active acne or blemishes.

THE VERDICT

Instantly I could see that my skin looked smoother, more radiant, and less lined. I was thrilled that the blonde vellus hair that had been bothering me was completely gone! Overall my skin had a beautiful glow and felt incredibly silky. Wanting to optimise the treatment, I finished with a layer of The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid followed by the Paula’s Choice Radiance Mask.

The next morning I woke up looking fresh, and my makeup looked ten times better than normal. It’s fair to say I am hooked – I will be dermaplaning every 2-4 weeks as required for the foreseeable future.

The Stacked Skincare tool is fantastic, but I could see myself investing in a Dermaflash one day if they become available in New Zealand.

Have you tried dermaplaning at home or in a salon? I would love to hear about your experience, email me here.

Steph xx