The following article contains imagery, usage and discussion of medical instruments (scalpel and needles.)  Whilst the procedures are non-invasive, any readers of a nervous disposition should proceed with caution.

You see it pretty much everywhere on Instagram, videos of people with a blade skimming across their faces as a napkin lies adorned with dead skin and hair. Some people recoil in horror at the sight of it, others wonder if the hair comes back thicker, so what is Dermaplaning? More so, what are the benefits? Zara finds out…

Sometimes, I’m a confused little moth butterfly, as I bounce and tap around videos on social media as much as the next person. However, I did notice that dermaplaning in particular had gained heaps of popularity during the years 2017-2018. It was something that fascinated me, I suppose like slime videos do for others, but I always thought this was one of the kings of all facials, that only the likes of the ‘dashians or mega hefty influencers were getting dibs on.

I was totes wrong…

So, I hooked up with an amazingly talented local MUA and beautician, Made Beautiful By Beth to see what the hype was about, and of course answer lots of questions too!

First and foremost, research is important. It’s your face, like, seriously. I don’t know about you but I don’t fancy someone taking a blade to my skin after watching a YouTube tutorial saying they know how to do it… I don’t think I can pull off the Michael Myers look if it goes wrong either, so making sure your beautician is certified with a beauty school or NVQ based qualification is something to look out for before pouncing on the table (I don’t expect to see anyone of y’all pretty faces appearing on Botched, ya dig?)

B u t  Z a r a , w h a t  e v e n  i s  d e r m a p l a n i n g?

Ok, so, Dermaplaning is a deep exfoliation of the first layer of the skin. It rids it of the dead skin and fine vellus hair leaving your face looking and feeling rejuvenated. It’s ideal for pregnant and/or nursing women who want an exfoliation as it doesn’t require any chemicals to be in contact with the skin. Happy mama, happy baba, happy face!

For the Dermaplaning procedure itself, a scalpel (make sure this is opened from its hygiene pack in front of you) is applied by your beautician against the skin on your face. In upwards motions the beautician gently pulls the scalpel over the skin which in turn removes any dead, dry skin and of course, peach fuzz, which I mentioned earlier as vellus hair… peach fuzz sounds cuter though, no?

I s  i t  s u i t a b l e  f o r  a l l  s k i n  t y p e s ?

It’s ideal for many skin types, but make sure your skin is assessed by your beautician prior to treatment. Anyone suffering cystic acne should seek further advice from their GP/dermatologist and beautician, and anything like birthmarks or moles can be worked around during the procedure to keep things safe. For me personally, as someone who suffers massive bouts of dry skin it’s a procedure match made in heaven, shifting my lizard scales away to make way for the better skin underneath.

D i d i t h u r t ?

No, was it uncomfortable? Not in the slightest! It almost felt like a light scratch across the skin, if I weren’t on camera, I can imagine I would have fallen to sleep…

W h a t e l s e w a s p a r t o f t h e f a c i a l ?

Beth’s complete Dermaplaning facial included a double cleanse before hand to ensure sure the skin was fully clean prior to applying the blade against the skin with the Medik8 pore cleanser. Then after the dermaplaning itself, a particle free, pain-free enzyme peel was applied, which once rubbed onto the skin turns into a grit (which happens to be excess leftover skin) and is removed with warm water. For an extra £10 you can indulge in a 24k collagen gel mask, which gives instant firming, hydrating and refreshing results (it also smells really nice, despite looking like the wrestler Golga whilst wearing it; you can thank my husband for that reference) Then the whole process is finished up with the Medik8 Glow oil, containing skin quenching ingredients such as vitamin C, and botanical extracts to help strengthen the skin whilst also increasing elasticity and promoting collagen production too; I’m pretty damned tempted to grab a bottle of this for myself, its fabulous for us dried skin beauties and it smelt so, so refreshing, it was my favourite part!

H o l d  u p , t h e  t i t l e  u p  t h e r e  m e n t i o n s ‘ m e s o t h e r a p y ‘  w h a t  o n E a r t h i s  t h a t ?

As an added extra skin boost, Beth applied Mesotherapy to my treatment. Catering for my own skin problems, Mesotherapy was used to inject the upper layer of my skin with more vitamin C. However the injections are superficial and do not hurt; it is known as a ‘non-surgical’ procedure.

It’s ideal for anyone like myself who struggles to hydrate their dry and tired skin, and because it can be tailored to suit your skin woes, it’s makes for an effective choice to couple alongside your current home skin regime.

S o  h o w  o f t e n  s h o u l d  I  g e t  d e r m a p l a n i n g ?

around 4-6 weeks is ideal between each treatment, skin renews itself everyday (mostly during the night) and hair grows back, so to keep on top of it does require frequent treatments too.

H a i r  g r o w s  b a c k?  D o e s  i t  c o m e  b a c k  d a r k e r ? !

No, issa myth boo, the hair removed on the face with Dermaplaning is known as vellus hair, this is hair we grow from childhood and is different from the thicker hair known as androgenic hair which we develop during stages of puberty. So if it was fine hair to begin with, it should totally be fine hair for life babes. Hair growth that returns may feel sharp as dermaplaning does not remove hair from the root, however, this will subside and soften as it grows back out and the sun works its magic against your face. See, I gotchu.

C a n  y o u  w e a r  m a k e u p  a f t e r w a r d s ?

Yes and no. Whilst some people apply makeup straight after a dermaplaning treatment to take advantage of the freshly smoothed skin, Beth stood on the side of allowing your skin to just ‘be’ for around 24 hours afterwards, which makes complete sense to myself. The morning after my treatment I could still feel the glow oil working its magic and I didn’t want to disturb it, but also bear in mind that it’s fresh skin. Clean brushes are a must to avoid any infections, rashes or unwanted acne flare ups to your face alongside products that aren’t out of date or contaminated! I done did warn you. I did! I also found that applying makeup was somewhat different. My foundation laid down much nicer, the pores weren’t as evident and of course, as the peach fuzz had been removed, the shadowing that usually happens above my upper lip when wearing foundation was completely gone. Why does that even happen? Blending my contour and bronzer also felt much easier to do but did feel somewhat alien to my senses, the overall result was pretty impressive I’ll admit!

Beth was absolutely amazing and insanely knowledgeable in her art, the reassurance with qualifications was great too. You can find more about Beth and all the treatments she has to offer on her Facebook page (she also does a fabulous job with lash extensions which you may have seen on my Instagram recently…)

Keep slaying beauties x