Okay, I’m going to start by saying that I’m a hairy woman. I’ve accepted it, but until recently it was something that really caused me severe self-esteem crisis, which wasn’t pretty at all. It’s a family thing; my mom, my aunt, and my sister, we all have facial hair. The difference is that theirs isn’t as dark as mine, and that really was something I was resentful for, not with them but with stupid genetics. As it happens with these issues that can alter your confidence, I didn’t really care about this until my teens, when a lady at the beauty salon told me she had to remove my hair because the makeup she was applying didn’t look good with it. Well, for me it was as if she had told me that I was the most hideous being she had ever seen, and thus my obsession began.
For years I tried everything, well, everything within my reach. Bleaching, waxing, hair removal creams (that caused severe burns and marks I still have), and even that ancient thread technique (which, by the way, is my favorite) that eventually became part of my feel-good beauty routine. Now, I mention all this because since that lady made me aware of what I considered a horrible flaw, the idea of shaving has been in my mind, but I never did it because it just didn’t sound like a great idea. Then just when I’d come to accept and embrace my facial hair, this new trend appeared, and my inner teen got really, really excited about this, so I obsessively started researching about dermaplaning.
Dermaplaning is conquering the Internet as the ultimate technique for a flawless skin. What is it all about? Well, with a special scalpel a technician or dermatologist starts shaving your face to remove not only those little hairs, but also layers and excess of skin and dead cells. Specialists claim that this technique will not only help smooth your skin, but it also gets rid of all the dirt that can cause breakouts and blemishes. This is considered to be the best exfoliant technique out there to bring back your natural glow. Now, this sounds great, but the fact that it’s done with a scalpel leaves me a lot of questions I hope we can answer.
The first one obviously is related to facial hair, and I think it’s the most common doubt people have about this. So, it’s a common belief that when you shave the hairs grow darker and thicker. Now, I wouldn’t know if they become darker, but I’m pretty sure they do grow back thicker, and I’m saying this out of an experience. When I started shaving my legs, my hair was thin and soft and now it’s really thick and strong. Now, according to dermaplaning expert Kerry Benjamin, this is nonsensical, since you’re only cutting the hair on the surface so there’s no way of actually changing the structure of the follicle. This sounds pretty logical, but then, explain to me how the complexion of my hair has changed from shaving my legs?
This expert explains that when the hair is growing, it might look darker to you because, when you remove it, your skin looks lighter, so you get used to that tone. When it grows back, you have the impression that it’s thicker because you forgot how it looked. As for the width of the hairs, his explanation is that it might look thicker, since you’re cutting from the surface of the skin so you miss that pointy end it naturally has, which is actually thinner than the body of the hair. But once it’s fully grown to its normal length it will look exactly the same as it was before shaving or going after dermaplaning.
Okay, I can buy that. What about the risks of literally stroking your face with a scalpel? I mean, I could actually go for it if it were a regular razor, since I already know it won’t go deeper into my skin, but with a scalpel, the perspective changes drastically. The first thing that’s kind of obvious but still important to mention is that it’s not advisable at all to do this by yourself. If you’re really willing to give this a try, find a dermatologists or beauty technician specialized in dermaplaning, because they actually know up to which layer they need to reach. Other than that, I’ve read so many reviews and opinions claiming that it doesn’t hurt at all and that it’s really difficult for you to suffer an accident if you go with the right person.
Another great thing about this is that dermaplaning works with all skin types, so basically anyone can go for it. However, if you suffer from severe acne, you’d first have to treat it so that you don’t end up damaging your skin. Other than that, this is great to have a flawless skin. Dermaplaning removes the dead cells from your skin, leaving a healthy layer on top. If you have a regular skincare routine, it will work even better, since the layers will be removed faster and more effectively.
Finally, going to a good specialist isn’t cheap, but the effects will last up to four weeks. I don’t know if I would actually commit to this technique, but it’s important to mention that you have to go through this monthly, so that you can keep the results of dermaplaning. But still, I do believe it’s a very demanding process, and I don’t know if my patience or money can adapt to it. Anyway, perhaps I’ll give it a try only once, so I can tell you later how it was.
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