First off, the idea of a straight razor near by face gives me major Sweeney Todd vibes. But nonetheless, here I am, shaving my face for a blog review.
I was recently gifted the Finishing Touch Flawless Dermaplane tool to try out and I was intrigued from the start. I’ve heard so many great things about dermaplaning but that was all done in spa, could I really replicate the results at home on my own? Was it easy to do? Did I slice my face open? Did it really make much of a difference?
What is dermaplaning?
It’s a method of removing facial hair, in particular peach fuzz. It helps rid your face of dead skin cells, slightly exfoliate and allow for better makeup application. Dermaplane suppose to help with the appearance of fine lines and acne scarring. The tool is essentially a straight razor (or scalpel in clinics and spas) used in short strokes all over your face.
Pros and Cons
When done properly, dermaplaning can help your skin look more radiant and provide a smoother base for complexion products. My pals that get it done in spas or clinics swear by it. Because it is essentially shaving your face there’s a lot of considerations before the treatment. It’s not suitable for super sensitive skin, however for other skin types there is no downtime required post treatment.
While it is essentially shaving your face, dermaplaning is more of an exfoliating treatment vs a method to remove hair. There are more effective and longer lasting ways to remove hair. A common misconception about hair removal is that it will make hair grow back thicker and darker but since your shaving the hair the tip of your hair shaft may feel more blunt as it grows. Another downside to dermaplaning (in spas) is that it’s fairly pricy.
The Tool
The Finishing Touch Flawless Dermaplane GLO ($30ish) features a Japanese stainless steel blade (with 6 refills!) designed with a safety guard and a built-in LED light to help you see where you’re shaving better. I personally didn’t find the light to be helpful and didn’t use it, it does come with the batteries needed to use the light.
It’s meant to be used on freshly cleansed skin without any product. You hold your skin taught and move it upward short strokes. Like shaving, a 45 degree angle is ideal however dermaplane works best against the grain. If done properly (yourself or by a professional) there should be no pain, just mild heightened sensitivity for a few hours. Try to avoid using products for a few hours and be sure to wear sunscreen after treatment (not just always, but especially after treating your skin!)
The Results
Full disclosure, I am not entirely certain what to expect when it comes to dermaplaning since I’ve never had the process done at a spa before. The Flawless dermaplane tool isn’t very sharp so I found that I had to make multiple passes and it wasn’t as exfoliating as I expected. It’s recommended that you avoid using any products after the process for a few hours since your skin can be a bit sensitive and I definitely noticed the day after that certain products stung more than others.
The Verdict
It has similar effects to microdermabrasion, however one essentially sands the skin while the other shaves. I did notice a difference, I don’t know if it’s leaps and bounds worth of a difference. My skin felt smoother and makeup application seemed to blend better. The blade didn’t seem sharp enough to really get all of the peach fuzz, however I noticed there was a buildup of dead skin cells leaving behind smoother skin.
I’ll continue to use the tool from time to time for some light physical exfoliation and I would definitely consider dermaplaning at a spa in the future.
(Also, as a fun aside: did you know that both Halle Berry and Ashley Graham are ambassadors for the Finishing Touch Flawless team?)
