What's all the fuzz about?

Want smooth, radiant skin? Try dermaplaning. Rosie Fitzmaurice goes under the scalpel

- Rosie Fitzmaurice

I’M LYING on a bed in a Harley Street clinic on a Thursday morning and a scalpel is inching its way towards my face. No, I’m not going under the knife (not just yet anyway), I’m here to try the latest beauty trend to go viral on TikTok: basically shaving your face. With more than 1.6 billion views on the video-sharing app, DIY Dermaplaning has a huge following.

How does it work?

“Dermaplaning uses a blade to remove very fine vellus hair, aka ‘peach fuzz’, from the face,” explains Dija Ayodele, skincare expert and author of Black Skin, The Definitive Skincare Guide. “It provides a light exfoliation and removes dirt and grime that can get trapped between hair. When done well, skincare products are able to penetrate deeper into the skin, radiance is improved and make-up sits better and smoother on the skin.”

The idea of shaving my face sounds alarming but intrigued by the promise of a more radiant complexion, I booked into aesthetic specialist Dr David Jack’s clinic to try his Egyptian facial, so-called because Cleopatra is said to have been the original adopter of the technique.

The anti-ageing treatment involves three steps: a gentle fruit-based facial peel using lactic and mandelic acids, which chemically exfoliates the skin; these dead skin cells are then physically removed by the dermaplaning using a medical-grade scalpel to unveil fresh new skin; before it is flooded with a cocktail of antioxidant-rich serums.