This is a great question—and it’s one our estheticians get all the time when they’re performing facial services. The short answer? Dermaplaning is form of hair removal, but it delivers more skin-improving benefits than simply shaving your face with a razor. And when you add sonic technology to the mix, you’re getting even more glow-boosting power. We have all the details below:
What exactly is dermaplaning?
Dermaplaning is a method of manual exfoliation and hair removal, and there two are different ways to do it:
Traditional dermaplaning (which has been around since the 1970s) is when a doctor, medical professional or licensed esthetician uses a surgical scalpel to carefully “scrape” the oldest layer of dead skin cells off your skin’s surface. The scalpel exfoliates your skin and, in the process, also removes vellus hair (a.k.a. peach fuzz). The “new” layer of skin that’s revealed looks fresh, radiant and fuzz-free. In addition, removing built-up dead skin allows skincare products to penetrate more effectively.
Here’s the catch: the scalpel blades used in doctor’s offices and Med Spas are extremely sharp, with no safety guards, and it’s essential that practitioners be highly skilled in the technique. This is not something you want to try at home. As dermatologist Dr. Mona Gohara told our friends at Cosmopolitan, “sharp blades and DIYs shouldn’t go together.”
Sonic dermaplaning delivers all benefits of traditional dermaplaning, but without the risks—and with more benefits for your skin. Our founder Dara Levy invented this technique in 2016, after realizing that no safe and effective at-home dermaplaning solutions existed. Dara took the existing 1970s-era scalpel and completely reimagined it, creating a technologically advanced device that used high-level sonic vibrations to:
- Ease the glide across skin's surface
- Get directly underneath peach fuzz for more effective removal
- Support cellular turnover
- Boost microcirculation
Dara also developed a proprietary Microfine™ Edge with an innovative safety cage, which gives your skin Med Spa-quality exfoliation and fuzz removal without the risk of nicks and cuts. In a bit of a plot twist, estheticians quickly discovered the device and started using it in their spa facials—which makes complete sense! No one is using a phone from the 1970s anymore, so why use a skincare tool from that era, when a safer and more advanced option exists?
What's the difference between dermaplaning and shaving?
As we said in the beginning, both dermaplaning and shaving your face with a razor will remove pesky peach fuzz. But dermaplaning delivers deeper and more effective exfoliation—and if you didn’t already know this, consistent exfoliation is key to supporting collagen and helping your skin keep its youthful glow.
If you choose sonic dermaplaning, you’ll also experience clinically proven anti-aging benefits. Independent lab studies of LUXE+ Sonic Dermaplaning showed visible benefits after just 4 weeks of use:
- 97% had less visible lines + wrinkles
- 94% had reduced appearance of dark spots
Will my hair grow back thicker after dermaplaning?
Nope, it won’t. Traditional dermaplaning and sonic dermaplaning do NOT change the hair follicle or affect hair’s natural growth pattern in any way. It’s scientifically proven that nothing you to do skin’s surface will change the way hair grows back. Your peach fuzz will grow back exactly as it was before—no thicker, no darker and no differently.
Now, you maybe have noticed that the hair on your legs does tend to look thicker after shaving—and there’s a reason for that. The hair on your legs (and on a man’s beard) is known as “terminal hair.” It’s coarser than the fine, fluffy, fuzzy little hairs on your face. When terminal hair is shaved off, it grows back with a blunt tip—giving the illusion that it’s coming back thicker. It’s actually not. Because facial peach fuzz is so fine and downy, it’s not going to grow back with that noticeable blunt tip. “I was very nervous my peach fuzz would grow back spiky or prickly— thankfully it didn't and it's still soft!” says LUXE+ user Brandi R. “It’s easy to use and my skin looks and feels so smooth.”
There you have it! Both shaving and dermaplaning remove hair, but dermaplaning delivers more anti-aging and radiance-boosting benefits. (And one more note… if you want to call it shaving, that’s totally fine with us! We’re not fussy—we just want you to experience that sonic dermaplaning glow!)
