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Dermaplaning vs Electrolysis

Dermaplaning: A sterile blade is drawn across the skin to shave off fine hair and the dead layer on top. Skin feels smooth and makeup sits better for a week or two. It is a finishing treatment, not a treatment for acne, lines or pigment.

Electrolysis: A fine probe is slid into each hair follicle and a small current destroys the cells that grow the hair. It is the only method that works on any hair color, and it is the slow option.

Reviewed by Dr. Schwarz, Board-Certified Dermatologist
Last updated: 10/22/2026
Editorial illustration for Dermaplaning, based on the entry’s treatment or equipment reference.Editorial illustration for Electrolysis, based on the entry’s treatment or equipment reference.
Choose ifKey differencesWhat is it?What it treatsTreatment areasSkin tonesHow it worksBefore your treatmentDay of treatmentAfter your treatmentRisksCostQuestionsRelated

Choose Dermaplaning if…

Choose for instantly smoother skin and better makeup application — a finishing treatment, not for acne, lines or pigment.

  • Dull skin before an event
  • Fine facial hair under makeup
  • No active acne

Choose Electrolysis if…

Choose for permanent removal of small areas or light-colored hair that lasers can't treat — slow but final.

  • Gray, white, red or blond hair
  • Small areas like the chin or brows
  • You want truly permanent results
Alternatives, not combined

Can you have both?

They remove hair in different ways. Dermaplaning shaves fine facial hair temporarily; electrolysis removes hairs permanently.

Key differences

● Dermaplaning
● Electrolysis
DowntimeNone → 2+ weeks
None
None
PainMinimal → Needs anesthesia or sedation
Minimal
Mild
Results showImmediately → 3+ months
Immediately
3+ months
How long it lastsWeeks → Years or permanent
Weeks
Years or permanent
Visits neededOne → Every few months
Every few months
A longer series (4–6+)
Cost per visit$ → $$$$$
$
$
ReversibleYes, can be undone → No, permanent
No, wears off
No, permanent

What is it?

Dermaplaning

Electrolysis

What is it?

It uses a blade.

Dead skin and fine facial hair are scraped away.

Results are temporary.

Surface smoothness improves for a short time.

It is superficial.

It is not dermabrasion or laser resurfacing.

Hair does not grow back thicker.

Cutting the shaft does not change the follicle.

It treats each follicle.

A fine probe delivers electrical energy to individual hairs.

It does not depend on pigment.

It can treat hair colors that lasers miss.

Hygiene matters.

A trained practitioner with good infection control is essential.

New hair growth may need evaluation.

Rapid new facial or body hair can have medical causes.

What it treats

Evidence level
Dermaplaning
Electrolysis
Strong evidenceMost established uses
—
Unwanted Hair on light skin.

Unwanted Hair

Permanent removal of any color.

Hirsutism on light skin.

Hirsutism

Permanent removal of facial hair.

Limited evidenceEarly or small studies
Dull Skin on light skin.

Dull Skin

Smooths and brightens.

Unwanted Hair on light skin.

Unwanted Hair

Removes fine facial hair briefly.

—
Little evidence
—
A few firm pink bumps scattered under the jaw and along the upper neck on light skin, with a dark loop of hair visible over one of them.

Ingrown Hairs

Laser is faster for large areas.

Not effective
Hirsutism on light skin.

Hirsutism

Temporary only.

AI-generated educational illustration: Crown hair thinning with hair retained around the sides on a light scalp.

Male Pattern Hair Loss

Not related.

Can make it worse
Inflamed acne on light skin. The spots sit in a patch of pink, and the ring of redness around each one is easy to see. A few have a yellow-white head, and the skin between them is dry and flaking.

Acne

Can irritate active breakouts.

—

Treatment areas

Treatment areas

Face; the selected area depends on the concern and treatment plan.

Selected unwanted facial or body hairs; each follicle is treated individually.

Skin tones

Skin tone
● Dermaplaning
● Electrolysis
Lighter skin
Low risk
Not a pigment-based treatment.
Low risk
Works on any hair color.
Medium skin
Low risk
Not a pigment-based treatment.
Low risk
Works on any skin tone.
Deeper skin
Low risk
Avoid on razor bumps, which can darken.
Low risk
Small dark marks possible with poor technique.

How it works

Dermaplaning

Electrolysis

How it works
Dermaplaning mechanism diagram. A blade skims the surface: A trained provider uses a controlled superficial technique. Fine hairs and outer cells lift away: The treatment removes vellus hair shafts and surface cells. Skin feels smoother temporarily: Hair follicles remain intact, so fine hair grows back.
Electrolysis mechanism diagram. A probe enters the hair opening: A fine probe follows the selected follicle. Electrical energy treats growth cells: The local effect depends on the electrolysis method. The treated hair is removed: Successfully destroyed follicles stop producing hair; sessions are repeated.
Diagram explanation

A blade skims the surface: A trained provider uses a controlled superficial technique. Fine hairs and outer cells lift away: The treatment removes vellus hair shafts and surface cells. Skin feels smoother temporarily: Hair follicles remain intact, so fine hair grows back.

Schematic illustration. Technique and response vary. This explains a mechanism and does not specify treatment settings.

A probe enters the hair opening: A fine probe follows the selected follicle. Electrical energy treats growth cells: The local effect depends on the electrolysis method. The treated hair is removed: Successfully destroyed follicles stop producing hair; sessions are repeated.

Schematic illustration. Technique and response vary. This explains a mechanism and does not specify treatment settings.

Before your treatment

Dermaplaning
Electrolysis
2–4 weeks before
Not specified

2 to 3 weeks before: Waxing and plucking: No waxing, plucking, threading or epilating for two to three weeks before starting, and none during the course.

Before you book: Trial visit: Book a short trial appointment before committing to a block of hours.

The week before

Postpone if: Sunburn or flare: A sunburn, fresh tan, active cold sore or inflamed acne flare.

3 to 5 days before: Actives: Stop retinoids (tretinoin, adapalene, retinol), benzoyl peroxide and acids.

Hair removal: No waxing, threading or hair removal creams for a week.

Not specified

Day of treatment

Dermaplaning
Electrolysis
Before you arrive

Clean face: No moisturizer or makeup — the blade needs dry skin.

Clean skin: No makeup, lotion or deodorant on the area.

Arrival & prep

Skin is cleaned and dried.

The skin is cleaned and the hair length checked.

Treatment

Skin is held taut and the blade drawn in short strokes over forehead, cheeks, jaw, chin and upper lip.

Eyelids are avoided, eyebrows shaped only if you agreed. It takes 20 to 30 minutes and often ends with a mask, moisturizer and sunscreen. It feels like a dry razor that pulls slightly; the sound surprises people more than the feel.

A single-use probe is slid into each follicle beside the hair, the current runs a few seconds, and the hair is lifted out with forceps.

Appointments are booked by time — commonly 15, 30 or 60 minutes — not by area. Each hair is a brief sting, worst on the upper lip and bikini line.

Before you leave

Skin is smooth and brighter, sometimes faintly pink for an hour.

Redness, small welts around the treated follicles, sometimes pinpoint scabs, and a soothing gel.

After your treatment

Dermaplaning
Electrolysis
First 24 hours

Days 1 to 3: Skin can feel bare, dry or tight, and products may sting a little.

Days 1 to 3: Tiny crusts where the probe went in, with warmth and stinging that a cool pack helps.

Days 2–7
Not specified

Days 3 to 10: Scabs lift on their own and the skin flattens.

Weeks 2–4

Week 1 to 2: Fine hair grows back at the same rate and thickness as before, and smoothness fades as the dead layer rebuilds.

Week 3 to 4: Skin is exactly as it was.

Not specified
Time to results

Immediately

Over months of sessions

How long results last

1–2 weeks; hair regrows in weeks

Permanent

From one session to the next
Not specified

Hairs come through from follicles that were resting or only partly treated last time.

Risks

Risks
  • A cut that is not healing
  • A dark mark where a nick was
  • A breakout afterwards
  • Bumps along the jawline or chin
  • A cold sore outbreak
  • Dark patches
  • Pale or pitted marks
  • Folliculitis
  • Ingrown hairs
  • A cold sore flare
  • Thick or keloid scars

Cost

Per session

In the US, dermaplaning runs about $75 to $250 a session, often less as an add-on to a facial or bundled with a light peel.

Electrolysis is charged by time, not area — commonly $30 to $100 or more for a 15 to 60 minute appointment in the US, depending on the city and practitioner.

Insurance

Insurance does not cover it.

Ask for the hourly rate and a rough estimate of how many hours your area needs, rather than a per-session price alone.

Questions

Dermaplaning

Electrolysis

Individual Questions
Does dermaplaning make hair grow back thicker or darker?

No. The blade cuts hair at the surface and never touches the follicle, which sets thickness, color and growth rate. Regrowth feels stubbly for a few days because the cut end is blunt.

How long does it last?

Smoothness lasts one to two weeks and the fine hair is back within three to four. Each session stands alone.

Will it help my acne?

No, and it can make an inflamed breakout worse. Once the skin is calm it is reasonable, purely for smoothness.

Is it safe on deeper skin tones?

Yes. It works only on the dead surface layer and uses no heat, acid or laser, so it does not cause pale patches. Avoid irritation and nicks, which leave a brown mark that shows more on deeper skin tones.

Can I do it at home?

Many people do, with a single-blade face razor on clean dry skin. Lower risk than a surgical blade. Go gently, never twice over the same patch, and never over a mole or an inflamed spot.

Is it worth the money?

Depends what you want. For smooth skin and makeup that sits well for a week or two, it delivers exactly that. As treatment for a skin problem it is doing nothing, and the money goes further on a retinoid and a sunscreen.

Is electrolysis really permanent?

A fully destroyed follicle does not grow another hair, and it is the only method US regulators allow to be called permanent hair removal. Most follicles need treating more than once.

How long does a whole area take?

It depends on size and density. A few scattered chin hairs may take about a year of short appointments, an upper lip a year to eighteen months, a full beard, chest or back one to three years or more. Anyone quoting a fixed number is guessing.

Does it hurt?

Each hair is a brief sting, and it is the repetition rather than any single hair that makes a long session hard. Numbing cream 30 to 60 minutes beforehand helps a lot. The upper lip and bikini line are the sorest areas.

Does it work on gray or blond hair?

Yes. Nothing here depends on pigment, so hair color makes no difference. This is the main reason to choose electrolysis over laser.

Is it safe on deeper skin tones?

Yes. Nothing targets pigment, so tone is not a barrier. Watch the healing instead: brown marks can follow any small wound, so a trial patch, a conservative pace and leaving the scabs alone all matter.

Should I have laser or electrolysis?

If the hair is dark and the area is large, laser is far faster. If the hair is gray, white, red or blond, electrolysis is the only method that works. Many people use both.

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