Skincare After Dermaplaning: What to Use When Your Skin Is Freshly Exposed

After dermaplaning, treat your skin as freshly exfoliated for about 48 hours: wash with a gentle cleanser and lukewarm water, apply a plain fragrance-free moisturizer, and wear broad-spectrum SPF 30 or higher every morning. Skip retinoids, exfoliating acids, vitamin C, scrubs and heavy makeup for a day or two, and keep blades, hands and pillowcases clean to avoid breakouts.

The rest of this guide explains why products sting after dermaplaning, gives a simple 48-hour routine for both salon and at-home sessions, covers the hygiene that prevents breakouts, and sets out how long to wait between sessions.

What does dermaplaning do to your skin?

Dermaplaning uses a fine blade to shave off the outermost layer of dead skin cells along with fine facial hair. The Cleveland Clinic describes it as a minimally invasive procedure that shaves away the top layers of your skin, done in a clinic with a dedicated instrument; at-home versions use small single-blade razors on a plastic handle, which a Cleveland Clinic dermatologist says should be lightly rubbed over the skin.

It's worth keeping expectations modest. A 2011 systematic review in Aesthetic Plastic Surgery found the evidence for dermaplaning suboptimal and framed such procedures as one part of a broader skin care regimen. What most people notice is smoother-feeling skin for a while and no peach fuzz, and a Cleveland Clinic dermatologist adds that makeup may go on more smoothly.

Why do products sting after dermaplaning?

Products sting after dermaplaning because the blade removes the skin's outer barrier layer, so ingredients reach living skin cells faster and in greater amounts. In a 2023 lab study in AAPS PharmSciTech, researchers found that dermaplaning removed the stratum corneum and part of the viable epidermis and significantly increased how much of two test drugs passed through the skin over 24 hours. They also saw results vary between different people doing the dermaplaning.

That's the reason estheticians sometimes say products "absorb better" afterward. It cuts both ways: retinoids, glycolic and salicylic acid, high-strength vitamin C, benzoyl peroxide, fragrance and essential oils all penetrate more, and are more likely to burn, sting or cause redness. A Cleveland Clinic dermatologist notes that skin may feel a little irritated for a day or so even after a careful at-home session.

What should I put on my skin after dermaplaning?

For the first 48 hours, use a short, bland routine:

If you're not sure about an ingredient, leave it out for two days. Once skin feels normal again (no tightness, stinging or warmth when you apply moisturizer), you can return to your regular routine.

What is a 48-hour routine after dermaplaning?

Right after the session

• If you dermaplaned at home, rinse off any loose hair and skin with lukewarm water and pat dry.
• Apply moisturizer. If it's daytime, follow with sunscreen.
• Don't touch, rub or apply makeup for the rest of the day if you can avoid it.

The first evening

• Gentle cleanser, then moisturizer. That's all.
• Sleep on a clean pillowcase.
• Skip your retinoid, exfoliating toner, peel pads and spot treatments.

Day 1

• Morning: gentle cleanser or a water rinse, moisturizer, SPF 30+.
• Light, non-comedogenic makeup is usually fine if skin feels calm.
• Avoid saunas, steam rooms and hard workouts. If you do sweat, pat it away with a clean towel and wash soon after, as the AAD advises for acne-prone skin.

Day 2 and beyond

• Reintroduce mild serums such as niacinamide.
• Bring back your retinoid or acid on night two or three, one at a time. If either stings, wait another night.

Can I use retinol after dermaplaning?

Wait at least 24 to 48 hours before using retinol after dermaplaning, and longer if your skin still stings when you apply moisturizer. There's no published standard for the exact gap, so this is a cautious default; follow your provider's instructions after a salon session. The reasoning is the same as above: with the outer layer just removed, a retinoid reaches deeper skin faster and is more likely to irritate.

It also works the other way around. If you use a prescription retinoid like tretinoin every night, your outer skin is already thinner and more reactive, so dermaplaning on top of it can feel harsher than expected. Ask your provider whether to pause your retinoid for a few days before a session. Exfoliating acids add another layer of sun sensitivity: the FDA says alpha hydroxy acids can make skin more sensitive to the sun during use and for up to a week afterward. Our retinol for beginners guide covers how to restart slowly.

Why am I breaking out after dermaplaning?

Breakouts after dermaplaning usually come from bacteria and irritation on freshly exposed skin, or from shaving over existing acne. A Cleveland Clinic dermatologist explains that dermaplaning can agitate existing acne and may cause more by leaving vulnerable skin exposed to bacteria, and advises putting the razor down and waiting it out if you're mid-breakout.

Hygiene does most of the prevention:

1. Use a clean blade. Clean the razor before and after each use. The Cleveland Clinic suggests rubbing alcohol and warm water for reusable razors, or use a fresh single-use one.
2. Never share blades. The same logic as the AAD's advice not to share makeup applicators applies: you're moving someone else's oil and bacteria onto your skin.
3. Start with clean, dry skin and clean hands. Remove all makeup and sunscreen first.
4. Go around, never over, active pimples. Shaving across a pimple can tear it open and spread bacteria.
5. Keep the first 24 hours low-touch. Hands, phone screens and makeup brushes all carry bacteria to the skin.
6. Use non-comedogenic products afterward. Heavy oils on freshly exfoliated skin can clog pores.

Tiny red bumps along the hairline or jaw a day or two after shaving can also be razor irritation or ingrown hairs. See our guide to ingrown hairs after shaving your face.

Who should skip dermaplaning?

Skip dermaplaning, or talk to a dermatologist first, if your skin is inflamed or broken. The Cleveland Clinic lists conditions to discuss with a provider first, including active acne, cold sores, eczema, psoriasis and contact dermatitis. The same Cleveland Clinic team advises against dermaplaning at home during an eczema flare-up or any other active skin issue.

Be cautious, too, if you have rosacea or very reactive skin, have just had a chemical peel or laser treatment, or use prescription retinoids daily. If you've just had a peel, wait until it has fully healed; our chemical peel aftercare guide explains how to tell. And if a nick bleeds, keep it clean and covered with a little petrolatum, and see a doctor if it becomes red, warm, swollen or painful, which can signal infection.

How often should you dermaplane?

At home, dermaplane no more than once a week. A Cleveland Clinic dermatologist recommends no more than once a week so the skin has time to recover, and warns against daily or every-other-day sessions. Many people find every two to four weeks is plenty, since fine hair and dead skin take time to build back up.

For salon dermaplaning, the Cleveland Clinic says your skin must heal fully between sessions, so ask your provider for an interval that suits your skin. If you also get peels or other exfoliating treatments, space them out instead of stacking them in the same week.

Will my hair grow back thicker?

No. Cleveland Clinic calls this a myth: trimming hair has no effect on how the hair grows. Regrowth can feel coarser at first because the cut end is blunt, but that softens as the hair grows out.

How can a selfie scan help with dermaplaning?

Dermaplaning results are subtle and short-lived, so it helps to have a consistent record of what changes and what doesn't. With Pori, you can take a selfie scan before a session and a few days after, then compare scores such as Pores & Texture and Hydration & Moisture in the before/after view, and note sessions in the skin diary to spot whether breakouts follow them. Pori's ingredient scanner (Pro) flags each ingredient in a product as beneficial, use with caution or avoid for your skin type, which is handy for checking a post-dermaplaning moisturizer for fragrance or hidden acids. Scan on calm skin, not right after a session, when redness will skew the result.

An app tracks how your skin looks. It isn't a diagnosis, so see a dermatologist for breakouts that won't settle, infected nicks or a rash.