Dos and Don'ts After Dermaplaning: 5 Musts and 5 Mistakes

TL;DR

• For the first 24 to 48 hours after dermaplaning, the fresh surface is briefly more sensitive to UV, heat and active ingredients, so aftercare matters most in that window.
• The five dos: hydrate with a fragrance-free moisturiser, wear broad-spectrum SPF 30 or higher, keep tools and pillowcases clean, stick to gentle products, and stay away from heat.
• The five don’ts: no make-up for 24 hours, no retinoids or acids for a week, no re-exfoliating, no touching or picking, and never skip sunscreen.
• Vellus hair (peach fuzz) does not grow back thicker or darker; cutting it at the surface does not change the follicle.
• At CoLaz, every dermaplaning client leaves with a printed aftercare plan and a number to call if anything looks off in the first 72 hours.

The dos and don’ts after dermaplaning are simple, and they matter most in the first 48 hours. Get them right and you keep the smooth, bright result the treatment is known for. Get them wrong, usually by piling active ingredients or heat onto freshly exfoliated skin, and you can end up with redness, breakouts or new pigmentation instead.

Below is the realistic aftercare guide we give every CoLaz dermaplaning patient: five things to do, five things to avoid, and the timeline that ties them together.

What happens to your skin right after dermaplaning?

Dermaplaning removes the outermost layer of dead skin cells and the fine vellus hair on the surface of the face, which leaves the new surface briefly thinner and more permeable than usual. A single-use sterile blade is held at a shallow angle and drawn across the skin to lift away that dead-cell layer and the peach fuzz sitting on top.

It is a mechanical exfoliation, not a chemical one, so nothing penetrates below the top layer and there is no real downtime. A systematic review in Aesthetic Plastic Surgery groups dermaplaning with other non-invasive resurfacing methods and notes that the benefits are immediate but temporary, holding for roughly three to four weeks before the surface regenerates. Because the surface is briefly more open, topical products absorb faster and UV reaches the skin more easily, which is the whole reason aftercare exists. In principle it is similar to skin in the days after a light chemical peel, just milder. The general NHS guidance on cosmetic procedures is to follow the aftercare your clinician gives you closely, especially in the first week.

What are the 5 dos after dermaplaning?

The five dos are: hydrate, protect with SPF, keep everything clean, use only gentle products, and keep your skin cool. Each one supports the barrier while it recalibrates over the first day or two.

1. Hydrate straight away. Apply a fragrance-free moisturiser with ingredients like hyaluronic acid, ceramides or niacinamide to keep the barrier calm and comfortable. Aim for a short ingredient list you recognise.
2. Wear broad-spectrum SPF every day. The skin is temporarily more prone to burning and pigment, so SPF 30 or higher is non-negotiable from day one, even indoors near windows. More on this below.
3. Keep tools and pillowcases clean. Swap to a fresh pillowcase and avoid touching your face with unwashed hands. Freshly exfoliated skin is more exposed to everyday bacteria.
4. Stick to gentle products. Choose a mild cleanser, an alcohol-free routine and non-comedogenic moisturisers. Fragrance and strong actives are the usual triggers for redness in this window.
5. Stay cool. Skip saunas, steam rooms, hot yoga and very hot showers for 48 hours. Heat dilates blood vessels and prolongs any redness.

What are the 5 don’ts after dermaplaning?

The five don’ts are: no make-up for 24 hours, no strong actives for a week, no re-exfoliating, no touching or picking, and never skip SPF. A single one of these can undo an otherwise flawless result.

1. Do not apply make-up for 24 hours. The surface is settling and full-coverage foundation can clog or irritate it. A light mineral powder is usually fine after the first day.
2. Do not use retinoids or strong acids for about a week. Retinol, tretinoin, AHAs (glycolic, lactic, mandelic) and BHAs (salicylic) can sting or over-exfoliate skin that has just been resurfaced.
3. Do not exfoliate again. No scrubs, enzyme masks, microdermabrasion or peels on top. Your skin has already had a controlled exfoliation, and stacking another doubles the irritation without doubling the benefit, a point echoed across the microdermabrasion and peel literature.
4. Do not touch or pick. Even though the skin feels smoother, fingers introduce bacteria and friction that the fresh surface does not need.
5. Do not skip moisturiser or sunscreen. With the barrier temporarily lowered, missing either leaves skin exposed. Skipping SPF is the most common reason a good result pigments a fortnight later.

How long does dermaplaning aftercare last?

Most visible sensitivity settles within 24 hours, but the sensible aftercare window runs about a week, reintroducing products gently over that time. Mild redness or slight tightness for a day or two is normal; the caution is about protecting the surface while it rebuilds, not managing a wound.

Here is the realistic timeline we give patients:

• Days 1 to 2: cleanser, fragrance-free moisturiser and mineral SPF only. No actives, no heat, no make-up on day one.
• Days 3 to 5: standard SPF is fine, and a low-strength vitamin C can come back. Still no scrubs or peels.
• Days 6 to 7: gentle AHAs and BHAs return at your usual frequency. Hyaluronic acid is fine throughout.
• Day 7 onwards: retinoids and stronger actives return, and other resurfacing treatments can be scheduled if your clinician agrees.

If you are combining dermaplaning with another treatment (a common pairing is dermaplaning followed a couple of weeks later by a light chemical peel or a Hydrafacial), the aftercare resets at each step, and we write the schedule out rather than leaving you to guess.

Why is sun protection the most important step?

Sun protection is the single most important thing you do after dermaplaning, because the newly exposed surface has less of its dead-cell barrier, so UV penetrates more efficiently and the short-term risk of pigmentation and burning is higher. This is the “do” that quietly protects every other part of your result.

The British Association of Dermatologists recommends a sunscreen of SPF 30 or above with a 4 or 5-star UVA rating and the UVA-in-a-circle logo. The NHS sunscreen guidance adds the practical detail most people get wrong: apply generously, reapply every two hours when you are outside, and remember that adults routinely under-apply, using far less than the recommended amount. After dermaplaning we ask patients to:

1. Use SPF 30 minimum, ideally 50, every day for the first week.
2. Choose a mineral filter (zinc oxide or titanium dioxide) for the first 48 hours, as it sits on the surface rather than absorbing into a slightly more permeable barrier.
3. Reapply every two hours outdoors, and wear a hat and seek shade during peak UV hours for the first few days.

Will my peach fuzz grow back thicker after dermaplaning?

No. Vellus hair grows back with the same colour, diameter and texture it had before, because cutting hair flush with the skin does not touch the follicle that determines how it grows. This is the worry we hear most from first-time patients, and it is a myth.

Hair structure is set at the follicle, below the surface. Drawing a blade across the skin trims the hair at skin level; it does not reach or change the follicle. The American Academy of Dermatology describes shaving-type surface removal as short-lived precisely because the hair regrows unchanged, not thicker. What can feel different for a week is the blunt cut end, which is stubbier to the touch than a naturally tapered tip, but that is texture at the tip, not new growth.

A few other aftercare myths worth clearing up:

• “Your skin has to peel to work.” It does not. Light flaking can happen, but visible peeling usually means the skin is irritated, and good hydration prevents it.
• “You can go back to all your products the next day.” Strong actives should wait several days, as the timeline above shows.
• “Home shaving is the same as a clinic session.” A trained clinician uses a sterile single-use blade, controlled angle and pressure, and gives you an aftercare plan, which is a different standard of care from a bathroom razor.

How does CoLaz support your dermaplaning aftercare?

Every CoLaz dermaplaning patient leaves with a printed aftercare plan, guidance on the right SPF, and a number to call if anything looks off in the first 72 hours. We treat aftercare as part of the treatment, not an optional extra, because the result you keep depends on the week that follows.

Many patients booking dermaplaning are also weighing a Hydrafacial, a peel or a microneedling course, and the spacing between those changes the advice. If you want the full aftercare detail on products and timing, our companion guide on dermaplaning aftercare goes deeper on what to use and what to avoid.

We hold ourselves to the standard the NHS sets for cosmetic procedures: a practitioner with the right training, skills and insurance, ideally on a Professional Standards Authority-accredited register such as the JCCP or Save Face. The NHS also suggests you research the clinic and never feel rushed into booking.

If you are deciding between dermaplaning and another route, or planning to combine it with a peel or a Hydrafacial, a free consultation is the place to write the plan out properly.