So I am 27 year old south Asian male, and noticed that everytime I go the barber to get my beard lined up, my face looks very refreshed and clean. Especially the cheek area.
I asked this online and it says because the blade provides a sort of exfoliation to your skin, and I was wondering why can’t I do this to my entire face.
I feel it would be great to look refreshed and such after if my entire face can have this effect especially because my face looks very dull a lot of times
I think it depends on your skin type. Dermaplaning (shaving my face with a very fine razor) causes me to break out badly. But if it makes your face look good, you are probably benefitting from the exfoliation!
My face hated it. Made me get pimples more easily I guess that it was just too much as I already exfoliate with acids and use retinol and such. But I’m glad you have found it suitable for your skin.
The parts of your face you shave are getting exfoliated but you shouldn’t shave the hairless parts of your face for that purpose. At least, not with a standard razor and not as often as you’d shave the lower half. You can get similar benefits with a chemical exfoliant.
Yes, you absolutely can do the entire face. The trending name is dermaplaning which is the same thing as shaving. Your skin doesn’t know the difference between a traditional shaving razor, a straight blade of surgical steel at the barbershop or a Tinkle razor used at home purchased from the drugstore. The surgical blade is sharper which will provide a slightly closer shave and slightly more exfoliation but that’s about it.
I don’t know anything about dermaplaning but if I used my regular razor on the upper parts of my cheeks that don’t grow facial hair, I would get a lot of irritation and probably even draw blood. It’s more delicate than the areas that get shaved regularly. I assumed there are some dermaplaning instruments designed to work better on delicate skin so that’s what I recommended.
It can be done on the entire face. Esthetician’s do it all the time. They call it dermaplaning. Technically it’s shaving but they like to word play. They use a stainless steel blade similar a surgeons surgical blade and just like the ones at the barbershop. Providers take a course and are certified in offering this service because the blade is very sharp and pressure and angle is important.
Estheticians will remove vellus hair which is also called ‘peach fuzz’. These are the tiny, thin hairs that cover the skin and are only visible with a magnifying mirror. While removing the hairs at the skin’s surface it simultaneously removes superficial dead skin cells. This provides a radiant glow to the skin exposing fresh, live skin cells. The process of removing vellus hair is two fold in terms of the glow which is also due to the way in which light bounces off skin more noticeably when it’s free from hair. When skin is covered in hair the surface will not reflect light in the same way. The hair buffers the effect.
Dermaplaning/shaving can also be done at home with a drugstore razor which are often marketed for eyebrows. I watched a few YouTube videos to get the hang of it. Also searched dermaplaning here on Reddit for others experiences. Can be done on dry skin or with an oil. Because I have some skin sensitivities I prefer to use an oil prior to dermaplaning. Rosehip Seed Oil from The Ordinary is a good inexpensive option. I like the Schick brand (Tinkle is another) for razors. I follow a dermatologist’s wife on IG who turned me on to them. I tried some other razors from Winners but they didn’t perform as well. Keep in mind that any drugstore razor won’t get as close as the stainless steel blade type but the difference with the hair is millimetres and cost is $7 vs $75 (location dependent).
If you were to try it at home some more tips would be be to moisturize afterwards, do it at night so any pinkness is long gone by morning and don’t use any skincare products that contain actives on the same night. Some people use it once and toss it. This is the safest way and ensures a close shave. I reuse each one 2-3x and disinfect by spraying it with 70% alcohol before and after use.
It’s a myth that shaving hair will cause increased dark hair growth. If that were the case bald men would be obsessively shaving their heads. When hair is removed at the surface rather than the root it will grow in with a blunt edge which gives the illusion it’s thicker but in fact it’s not. Typical vellus hair has a tapered tip that lays down flat. Growth post dermaplaning will spike initially and have a blunt edge until it either grows long enough that it lays down or sheds for the next hair cycle. If you were to stop dermaplaning the hair will return to its previous state, not thicker in diameter or denser.
Please Don’t Don’t do it…after effects completely not worth it. Rock the natural normal fuzz. I did it and 4 weeks later my face still has red bumps and feels like sandpaper. Dermaplaning is a scam.
Shaving exfoliates, but it is a pretty harsh exfoliation. My facial hair grows fairly quickly, but my skin cannot handle daily shaving - so I shave every two days but have to do a lot to take care of it due to the constant exfoliation.
Don’t dermaplane by yourself, but shaving offers exfoliation, especially if it’s happening in a place that doesn’t usually get as much exposure to skincare.
I’m female and I shave my whole face, including my forehead! I do it for exfoliation and for the smoothest possible surface for makeup.
How do you usually wash your face? Just hands? If you use a washcloth, that can offer some physical exfoliation.
If you introduce a chemical exfoliant, you still need to do some physical exfoliation to remove the dead skin it causes. You don’t need anything overly harsh.