By Andi Douglas, nwaMotherlode beauty editor and mama of 3
That little peach fuzz all of our cheeks mostly goes unnoticed … until it doesn’t. Then it’s all you can think about.
Most of us have very pale peach fuzz that you don’t give a second thought. We’ve had furry bodies since the first cave woman walked outside and said, “Brrrr,” so why should we care? But the cave women didn’t have to deal with HD photography and Instagram, amiright?
For my darker-haired beauties, this may be something you’ve always been aware of and concerned with.
If you strive for flawless looking skin and just haven’t been able to nail the look, Dermaplaning may be the solution you’re looking for.
Dermaplaning sounds intimidating, but it is basically the shaving of your top layer of skin. This not only exfoliates, but removes the filla hair, or peach fuzz, that grows all over your face.
Without that hair and the trapped dead skin, not only will your face look smoother but your products, like creams and toners, will be able to penetrate deeper and be more effective.
When done in a spa or salon, a trained aesthetician uses a specially made blade that looks similar to a scalpel to gently remove the hair from your whole face: cheeks, forehead, chin, upper lip, and under your chin. It is done on dry skin and doesn’t hurt at all, just a gentle scraping sensation. As far as spa beauty treatments go, dermaplaning is reasonably priced for the dramatic results.
Revive Medical Spa offers the service for $75 and recommends it be repeated every 4-6 weeks. However, it can be done just for special occasions or as often as you like.
It is also recommended before you have a facial or chemical peel to optimize the effectiveness of the treatment. There is no recovery time for dermaplaning so you can have both treatments done together.
Treating yourself to a relaxing spa treatment is always fun, but thankfully, this is a beauty routine that is easy to repeat or maintain at home. But please, do not try to use a scalpel if you like your nose intact. There are a lot of options for facial razors. These are single blade, small razors intended specifically for trimming and exfoliating. A cult favorite that is available only online is the Tinkle Eyebrow Razor and costs less than a dollar a piece (Literally just ordered some myself). You can also use an electric trimmer like the Panasonic Women’s Facial Trimmer for $10 and would make a great stocking stuffer.
As dermaplaning increases in popularity, more options are becoming available with higher price tags. I would start with a cheaper version to see if you are comfortable with at home dermaplaning before investing in the pricier options. Especially if you plan on having it done by a pro on occasion and you only want to maintain at home.
Myth Buster: Shaving your face will not make the hair grow back thicker or darker. This is an old wives tell spurred on because the stubble may feel coarser at first because it is shorter. The filla hair will grow back soft and fine as before. If you had any whiskers that you shaved off, they will come back feeling like whiskers (as someone with whiskers, I hate that word too). You may want to touch up those areas more often.
If you have a question for our makeup maven, Andi, just email it to mamas{at}nwaMotherlode{dot}.com. She’s a mama of three who totally gets you. We promise.
