MOLLY-MAE Hague, with 6.3 million followers on Instagram, has huge influence over the people that view her content.
So when the Love Island star slammed a beauty treatment for causing her to “grow a full beard”, it likely put off many others from getting the procedure, myself included.
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Dermaplaning is used to remove short, soft, fuzzy hairs on the face as well as the top layers of the skin to give a plump, smooth face.
The basic concept of dermaplaning is not too dissimilar to shaving, as your facialist will be using a scalpel-type blade to remove hair.
Molly-Mae said she regretted getting the treatment done repeatedly because it caused the hair on her face to grow more “rapidly”.
During a makeup tutorial on YouTube in February, Molly-Mae revealed: “I need to speak to you guys about my battle with dermaplaning – and just wish I never got dermaplaning.
“I basically have a full beard now.”
Dermaplaning has risen in popularity in recent years.
And, after experts gave their varying opinions on Molly-Mae’s comments, I had to try it for myself.
Most women have fine hair on their face that’s barely visible to the naked eye, with some growing it thicker or darker.
The question is, does removing it cause it to grow back worse, as Molly-Mae claims?
Dr Osman Bashir Tahir, a plastic, reconstructive and aesthetic surgeon at Halcyon Aesthetics says technically no.
But it may feel like it comes back sharper, much like the hairs on your legs after shaving.
He told Central Recorder: “It’s common to feel a little stubble as your hair starts growing back in after dermaplaning. This doesn’t mean that your hair is thicker or more coarse.
“The treatment works by shaving the hair on the surface, which doesn’t affect the structure of the hair follicle.
“Because dermaplaning blunts the hair’s edge, it may feel as though the hair is ‘thicker’ than before.
“But once the hair has grown back in, it will look and feel exactly the same as before.”
Sophie Saunders, aesthetic clinician at Stratum Clinic Cheltenham, agreed and said the hair “may feel thicker because it has been blunted”.
She claimed: “It has been clinically proven that dermaplaning cannot cause hair to grow back thicker, faster, or darker.”
Sophie said “peach fuzz” is technically called vellus hair, which is different to thick, dark and longer “terminal hair”.
Dermaplaning alone cannot change the hair from vellus to terminal, she said – only hormonal conditions such as PCOS and endometriosis can do this.
Sophie said: “People with hormonal related conditions such a PCOS or endometriosis for example, should, in my opinion, not have dermaplaning as it could worsen the facial hair.”
Molly-Mae has openly spoken about her battle with endometriosis.
My experience
I had wanted to get dermaplaning for a while.
I’d heard from friends it’s a game-changer for a silky smooth makeup finish, which piqued my interest given I’ve always put up with patchy foundation around the fuzzy parts of my cheeks.
I was a little put off by Molly-Mae’s experience.
But when I went for my appointment at Dr David Jack’s Clinic on Harley Street, head aesthetician Izabela Pawlitka reassured me there would be no excess hair regrowth.
After a quick consultation about my skin’s history, Izabela exfoliated the skin with chemical peels (which sounds very clinical, but really it’s just fancy skincare).
She gently moved the medical-grade carbon steel blade across my face, including the sideburn area, upper lip, neck and jaw, and around the temples.
I stayed as still as possible. It was a close shave, but didn’t hurt. And it was over in less than 20 minutes.
There is no doubt that afterward, my skin looked like it had been scraped clean – there is no other way to describe it.
My cheeks were plump and moist like I had never seen, with a shiny glow.
I couldn’t stop stroking my hair-free face all evening.
However, just like normal hair on the legs, pits, or a male’s face, the hair starts to grow back within 48 hours.
I couldn’t see it, I could only feel it when I lightly brushed my fingers in the opposite direction to hair growth.
At no point in the following weeks did I notice excess hair regrowth. Six weeks later, it’s still not returned to its usual fuzziness.
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I didn’t suffer any skin issues above what would be typical for me.
The afterglow of dermaplaning didn’t last more than two to three days, which is standard for a facial.
Therefore, I can see dermaplaning as useful for a special occasion, such as a wedding.
But as a routine treatment, I don’t see it having much value – other than for those who want to keep hair at bay, perhaps.
The service I got would cost £150, being on Harley Street, after all. Beauticians offer dermaplaning for around £40.
Some brave women use tiny blades you can pick up on the high street to do light face shaving at home.
I can’t help thinking the concept of dermaplaning isn’t too dissimilar from simply shaving the face.
However, it’s clear from videos that the blade lifts dead skin cells as well as hair, to give the fresh face look.
Are there any drawbacks?
There are some instances that dermatologists recommend steering clear of dermaplaning.
Dr Ross Perry claimed “dermaplaning is not an ideal treatment” – and he does not offer it at his skin clinic chain Cosmedics.
He told Central Recorder: “The premise of it is to remove superficial layers of the skin in the hope that it will regenerate growth of newer skin.
“The problem is, it completely degloves the entire barrier system which is a natural defence system for your skin.
“So often with people with sensitive skin or acne prone skin it can often make things a lot worse.
“Often we don’t advise these types of treatments for the majority of people, and often they are only really done best by clinically supervised people, and even then as a treatment it does have its negatives and side effects.”
Sophie said “most people are suitable” for the procedure, but it would not be best for those with rosacea or active acne.
“A well-trained aesthetician will go through a thorough consultation before any treatment to decide whether you are a suitable candidate,” she said.
“Some people may experience slight redness after the treatment and could potentially have a few spots appear – as with any exfoliation treatment.
“However, with the right aftercare prescribed by your practitioner will mean this is highly unlikely to develop into anything more severe.”