Tips
Close up of a man's face for article on dermaplaning men.
By December 13, 2021 Tips 6 Comments

Yes, you can dermaplane men.

But wait. Put the blade down.

There are a few things you should know first before dermaplaning men.

Let’s start with choosing the right blades for dermaplaning men. The shaving blade is a thin, flexible blade that works best when there are 3-4 of them housed in a plastic frame and set at a 35-degree angle. This design works great on coarse beard hair. Try that with a dermaplaning blade and the results will be disappointing. Why? A dermaplaning blade is rigid and designed to remove vellus hair and perform an exfoliation. That’s why we’ve always said “no” to dermaplaning men.
Now for the “yes” part…
Men can be dermaplaned in areas of the face where there is no coarse facial hair growth. Men have vellus hair too and plenty of surface skin cells just lounging around on the face.
Men’s skin is different from women’s skin. You knew that? Ok. But do you know what those differences are?

Ok, what statements about men’s skin below are true?

1. Men’s skin is thicker

Answer/Explanation: Testosterone, the primary male androgen hormone, helps make men’s skin tougher and thicker—about 25% thicker than women’s, actually.

2. Men’s skin has more layers

Answer/Explanation: The deeper layer of your skin called the dermis is about 20% thicker than a woman’s dermis. This is why men and women get wrinkles in different ways. Men tend to have fewer superficial fine lines than women but are more prone to the deep wrinkles that are caused by repeated facial expressions. We’re talking about frown lines between your eyebrows and smile lines around your mouth.

3. Men’s skin has a higher pH. Men 5.80; Women 5.54

Answer/Explanation: I was taught that men’s skin has a higher pH than women’s but in my research I found that some studies show men are higher, men are the same, and men are lower. So I’m inclined to believe it’s an individual thing and that we don’t need to make a big deal about pH differences – at least at this point.

4. Men’s skin is oilier

Answer/Explanation: After puberty, sebum (oil) production in men’s skin is greater, roughly double, than that of women’s due to androgen secretions. In addition to a higher likelihood of having more and larger pores, men are more prone to having oilier skin and acne than women.

5. Men’s skin has more collagen

Answer/Explanation: Yes, men have a higher collagen density in their skin, again, thanks to androgen.

6. Men do not vellus hair on their face, only terminal hair.

Answer/Explanation: Men have both terminal and vellus facial hair.
Answers below.
True 1, 4, 5
False 2, 3, 6

Our rules for dermaplaning men

Rule #1

Do not dermaplane over coarse beard hair no matter how close he’s shaved. (We’ve tried. It was very uncomfortable for our models). I know you’ll do it anyway, just to prove me wrong. I’m ok with that – just make sure your model is, too.

Rule #2

You’ll need 2 forms of exfoliation. One for the lower half of the face (beard area) and dermaplaning for the upper half of the face. Options for the lower half include: microdermabrasion, scrub, enzyme, and HydraFacial.

Rule #3

Don’t dermaplane into the abyss of a deep expression line. Go across for safety. So your blade is never parallel to the expression line. Your angle will be off when coming up the other side increasing the risk of injury.

Protocol:

Cleanse twice with gel cleanser designed for oily/acne prone skin (extra clean skin is key for best results). Remove with warm barber wrap or our baby face facial cloth.
Prep with AHA/BHA Skin Prep Solution using gauze. When working over the beard area DO follow the direction of hair growth.
Mag Light: Examine the skin closely for bumps, scars and other lesions that you’ll need to avoid dermaplaning over and if necessary, mark with white eyeliner pencil. You can also use the white eyeliner pencil to mark where the beard begins, if it’s not easy to see without magnification. If you can feel the hair with your finger, don’t dermaplane over it.
Microdermabrasion: Microderm the lower half of the face first. Apply Nourishe Dermaplaning Oil on your clients full face and neck. Then dermaplane upper half of the face. Follow with NuPeel Natural Enzyme to complete the exfoliation process and remove residual Nourishe. Remove with barber wrap. Perform extractions (this is a great place to use the skin scrubber). Apply AHA/BHA Skin Prep to areas of extractions. Next, use a mask – sheet masks are great since they easily lift off the skin. Finish with your favorite finishing products.
DermplanePro offers a course on dermplaning men. Watch our demonstration video, get tips and techniques, and learn how to deal with facial hair and hairlines on the Norwood scale. You need to be DermaplanePro-certified to take this course, but you can easily add it to your cart if you are signing up for our main certification course as well.
Happy dermaplaning
Rikki Kusy
Founder & CEO
DermaplanePro, Inc.

Comments (6)

  1. Jennifer
    4 years ago

    Great info thank you!!!

    Reply
  2. Fella Tahraoui
    4 years ago

    Hello,
    Is it possible to receive a training and a certification prior to the purchase?
    Thank you
    Fella
    Spa Owner

    Reply

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