Would you like to get rid of unwanted peach fuzz while also rejuvenating the look of your face? Do you need a treatment with no downtime that can be worked into your busy schedule? Dermaplaning, a painless treatment offered by Perfect Skin Center in Scottsdale, AZ, may be just what you’re looking for. This cosmetic service offers a number of benefits, ranging from instant exfoliation to cleaner pores. Best of all, it’s good for your skin.
What Is Dermaplaning?
Dermaplaning is an exfoliation treatment that involves gently scraping the face with a medical-grade scalpel to remove the very top layer of skin. The shave removes both dead skin cells and the fine vellus hairs that are known as peach fuzz, leaving the surface of the face ultra smooth. By stimulating the development of new skin cells, this type of exfoliation — sometimes called a scalpel facial — helps new skin rise to the surface. It leaves patients with a more youthful and dewy face, but without any harsh chemicals, excessive downtime, or pain.
What Are the Benefits of Dermaplaning?
One of the most commonly cited benefits of this treatment is the rested, rejuvenated appearance it gives patients. The skin on the face takes on a smoother and more youthful look, and patients appear more relaxed and less stressed. But scalpel facials also offer a number of other benefits as well, and some of them are in line with what you’d expect from far harsher facial treatments.
Rejuvenated Skin
Because it gets rid of dead skin cells and spurs the development of new cells, this treatment has a rejuvenating effect on the skin. The skin tone is evened out and hyperpigmentation — the darker spots that can appear on the skin — eases. Overall, the skin takes on a fresher and brighter appearance. Rough spots on the surface of the skin are smoothed over, and the patient’s complexion is brightened.
Fewer Fine Lines and Wrinkles
All of those new skin cells also help minimize the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, warding off some of the early signs of aging.
No More Peach Fuzz
Although scalpel facials are widely known for their rejuvenating effect on the skin, this treatment also tames the peach fuzz that so many patients are bothered by. Even though those fine hairs seem mostly invisible, you’ll be surprised at how good you’ look once they’ve been removed. Your face will practically glow, and your skin will feel good to the touch. Many patients say their face feels as soft and smooth as a baby’s bottom after treatment. One of the advantages of this treatment is that it works on darker, more visible facial hairs as well as the fine vellus hairs.
More Effective At-Home Skincare Regimen
The first several days after treatment are the ideal time to focus on your highest-quality serums, moisturizers and other elements of your at-home skincare routine. Your hairless face and super-clean pores will be able to fully absorb those treatments, and you’ll get the maximum benefit from them. Facials and other aesthetic services offered by our center are also especially effective in the first days after your treatment.
Cosmetics Will Go on Easily
Your cosmetics will also go on much more easily once your face is clear of peach fuzz and dead skin cells. You’ll shave minutes off of your morning makeup routine, and your face will look better once it’s been made up. Have you ever noticed how fine facial hairs tend to stand up and out once you’ve applied foundation and powder? You won’t have to worry about the appearance of those little hairs after you’ve undergone this treatment.
Cleaner, Smaller Pores
This treatment serves as a deep cleaning of the face that removes dirt, oils, and dead skin cells from the pores. Once your pores have been cleaned, they’ll appear smaller on the face. This contributes to a more youthful look since pore size is directly related to age.
Help for Acne Sufferers
If you’re undergoing acne treatment, or if you have acne scarring from previous outbreaks, a scalpel facial can be especially helpful. Although this treatment isn’t recommended for patients who have current, active breakouts, it can minimize the chance of future breakouts by cleaning your pores and getting rid of the dirt and oils that can sometimes become trapped in facial hair. This treatment can also ease some of the redness associated with past acne scars. And by clearing the face of hair and skin cells, it can improve the efficacy of acne medications.
Gentle and Relaxing
Although the idea of having your face shaved with a scalpel may sound intimidating, the treatment is amazingly relaxing and enjoyable. This is a gentle treatment that involves no harsh chemicals and no tugging, pulling, or scratching on the skin. Scalpel facials are completely non-invasive and are safe for all skin tones and types.
Convenient
This is a fast and easy treatment that involves no downtime. Most appointments last no more than an hour, and you’ll be able to get right back to your schedule afterward. Many patients even book these treatments during their lunch hour or during other breaks in their day, prompting many to refer to the service fondly as a lunchtime facial.
Who Is a Good Candidate?
Anyone who wants to get rid of peach fuzz and minimize fine lines and blemishes on the face, while also improving the overall look and health of the skin, is a good candidate for this treatment. The gentle and noninvasive nature of this service also makes it a good option for patients who have limitations that prevent them from taking advantage of other treatment options. Patients who are pregnant, who have very sensitive skin, or who are unable to handle the chemicals in other treatments may all benefit from scalpel facials.
What Other Treatment Options Do I Have?
If you’re looking to both exfoliate your skin and get rid of fine facial hairs, your primary options are dermaplaning, facial waxing, or shaving your face with a manual razor. Waxing, a widely available service, can over-exfoliate the face if it is not done properly. There are a number of different waxes available, and if you have sensitive skin, you may want to have a small test spot waxed first to see how your body reacts to the treatment. Shaving, meanwhile, offers a much lighter exfoliation. Of the three options, the so-called scalpel facial offers the deepest and safest exfoliation treatment.
Dermaplaning: FAQ
What Is Treatment Like?
We’ll start by cleansing your face and applying a solution that is designed to open up your pores. During the treatment, we’ll carefully scrape your face with a surgical steel blade held at a 45-degree angle. Your skin will be held taut while the various parts of your face are addressed. A scalpel facial is non-invasive and involves no pain or discomfort. Many patients say the sensation is similar to how it feels when shaving your legs in the shower with a manual razor. You may also hear a slight whispering sound as the blade makes soft strokes across your face.
What Are the Post-Treatment Instructions?
Avoiding sun exposure and wearing sunscreen — two essential parts of any skincare routine — are especially important in the days immediately following your treatment. Retinol and exfoliants should also be avoided for the first 24 hours after treatment. You’ll be able to reapply your cosmetics immediately after treatment if you wish, although some patients enjoy going makeup-free for a few hours after such a rejuvenating treatment.
How Frequently Should I Schedule Treatments?
Because a scalpel facial does not permanently remove your unwanted facial hair, you’ll need to schedule return treatments to maintain your look. After your first treatment, you’ll likely be excited about your results and eager to schedule your next appointment. We recommend that most patients wait at least four weeks before their next appointment. Four weeks will give your skin enough time to bounce back and replenish itself after being exfoliated. And because it will take some time for the facial hair to regrow, you won’t need another treatment right away anyway.
How Does the Treatment Really Work?
This treatment scrapes the skin just enough to trick it into thinking it has been injured. That injury alert spurs collagen production and pushes the skin to start regenerating cells, resulting in the youthful, glowing, refreshed skin that many patients have after treatment.
Won’t My Facial Hair Grow Back Even Thicker?
An old wives tale suggests that hair will grow back thicker and even darker after it’s been shaved off, but dermaplaning does not have this effect. This treatment does not impact or alter your hair follicles, nor will it influence the rate at which your facial hair grows. Only genetics can determine how fast your hair will grow, and hormones are responsible for deciding where you grow dark, thick hair and where you grow light, thin, vellus hairs.
Can This Treatment Be Performed on Other Parts of the Body?
Unlike shaving and waxing, which can be done all over the body, scalpel facials can only be performed on the face.
Can I Try This Treatment on My Own at Home?
You’ve probably grown comfortable shaving your legs with a manual razor in the shower, but dermaplaning — with a surgical steel scalpel — is a whole new ballgame. This treatment is best left to a trained professional who is comfortable using an ultra-sharp blade to navigate the tricky contours of your face. Nicks, ingrown hairs, stubble, and other injuries are just a few of things that could develop if at-home dermaplaning goes awry.
Is There Anyone This Treatment Won’t Work for?
This treatment is not recommended for patients who are in the midst of an active acne outbreak or who have open wounds or lesions on their face. Patients who are allergic to nickel or who have used the acne medication Accutane in the past six months also are not ideal candidates. Patients who have received Botox or dermal fillers should wait at least seven days before undergoing a scalpel facial.
Why Choose Our Practice
Pursuing a fresh, youthful appearance doesn’t always mean you have to undergo invasive and dramatic cosmetic surgeries. We can help you turn back the clock with innovative rejuvenating treatments designed to restore your natural beauty without making you look like you’ve had work done. If your friends and family think you look great after treatment, but they can’t pinpoint exactly what you had done, we know we’ve done our job well. Interested in learning more? Call Perfect Skin Center in Scottsdale, AZ and ask about dermaplaning.
