Soooo, here we all are! In our houses, trying to figure out how to do the things that we normally “get done” somewhere else by a professional. This time it’s not a factor of money or access but instead a virus, a pandemic that’s forcing us to fix our own skin, hair, and nails.

Just think back to when we used to try Youtube, “Do It Yourself” beauty routines for fun but now it’s for real - like REALLY REAL! I teamed up with Michael Todd Beauty to help you get through this so you don’t have to come out at the end of this quarantine looking like a bad accident.

You’ve probably had a dermaplaning procedure done when you last visited your facialist or esthetician as part of your facial treatment. Dermaplaning, also known as Dermablading, is the use of a blade to to remove surface issues like hair (peach fuzz) and dead skin cells. The goal is to improve the appearance of your skin, the ability for your skin to absorb skincare products such as serums and for makeup to go on more smoothly without leaving a textured look.

You might be saying, “OMG this is literally shaving! Is she trying to “rebrand” shaving your face? Well, yes and no. Dermabalding isn’t exclusively about removing facial hair and any dead skin cell loss as it relates to shaving is more of a plus, than it is intentional. The benefits of Dermaplaning is such a debatable topic. Asthetic Plastic Surgery published a study into noninvasive beauty procedures that included, dermaplaning, topical oxygen and photodynamic therapy. They concluded that, “The overall amount of scientific data supporting [dermaplaning] was found to be scarce, anecdotal, and not well documented.” I think the reason people like dermaplaning so much is that it gives a feeling of being cleansed in some kind of way and the look of fresh smooth skin is commonly sought after.

Is Dermaplaning good for everyone? No, if you have inflamed skin from acne or rosacea, than you probably don’t want to dermaplane because it may further irritate your skin. It’s safe for those that have a steady hand and don’t have open sores (open pimples), skin infections, and so forth. If you happen to nick yourself while dermaplaning, you should immediately disinfect the area and change your back.

Of course going to an esthetician to get a dermaplaning treatment sounds really nice right now, but that’s not going to happen any time soon. So, here’s how you can do it at home with a Michael Todd Beauty’s SonicSmooth set. The SonicSmooth comes with a dermaplaning device, 8 refillable blades, a cleanser and after care balm. Once you’ve washed your face, while your skin is still wet, turn on the dermablading tool to the lowest mode. When you’re ready, draw it gently across the area you want to remove hair and dead skin cells (i.e. your cheeks, chin, etc.)

In my video, I demonstrate using the SonicSmooth on my forehead. I get a lot of dead skin on my forehead and like to dermablade that area about once a week. Again, don’t derma blade over acne bumps or inflamed skin. Also, I would recommend using a magnifying mirror so that you can see your progress. Once you’re done, follow up with the after care gel provided in the kit.

Dermaplaning at home may be a temporary situation but you may also find that it’s really easy to do and you don’t have to wait from your next facial appointment to achieve a fresh, smooth face.