Compare · Procedures

Dermaplaning vs Laser Hair Removal

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.

Laser Hair Removal: A laser that heats the pigment inside a hair to damage the follicle growing it. It reduces hair rather than removing it for good, and it does not work on gray, white, red or very blond hair.

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 Laser Hair Removal, 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 Laser Hair Removal if…

Choose for long-term reduction of dark hair over larger areas — it won't work on gray, white, red or very blond hair.

  • Dark hair, any skin tone with the right laser
  • Razor bumps or ingrown hairs
  • Larger areas like legs or underarms
Use care together

Can you have both?

Dermaplaning shaves hair, which is fine before laser. Do not dermaplane in the few days right after a laser session.

Key differences

● Dermaplaning
● Laser Hair Removal
DowntimeNone → 2+ weeks
None
None
PainMinimal → Needs anesthesia or sedation
Minimal
Mild
Results showImmediately → 3+ months
Immediately
1–4 weeks
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

Laser Hair Removal

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 reduces hair long-term.

It is more accurately called long-term hair reduction.

It targets follicle pigment.

The laser is absorbed by pigment in the hair.

Several sessions are needed.

Hairs cycle through growth phases.

Device must suit skin type.

Tanning, medicines and sudden new hair growth should be discussed.

What it treats

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

Unwanted Hair

Lasting reduction after a full course.

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

Prevents razor bumps.

Hirsutism on light skin.

Hirsutism

Reduces unwanted hair.

Moderate evidenceSome supportive research
—
An inflamed lump in the armpit on fair skin. The skin over it is swollen, shiny and red, with a pair of small blackhead-like openings in the skin beside it.

Hidradenitis Suppurativa

Reduces flares in some people.

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.

—
Not effective
Hirsutism on light skin.

Hirsutism

Temporary only.

—
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.

Flat tan patches with soft irregular edges across the forehead and upper cheek of an adult with light skin, the surface completely smooth.

Melasma

Laser heat can darken nearby patches.

Treatment areas

Treatment areas

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

Upper lip, chin, underarms, legs and back.

Skin tones

Skin tone
● Dermaplaning
● Laser Hair Removal
Lighter skin
Low risk
Not a pigment-based treatment.
Low risk
Best with dark hair.
Medium skin
Low risk
Not a pigment-based treatment.
Some risk
Needs the right laser and settings.
Deeper skin
Low risk
Avoid on razor bumps, which can darken.
Some risk
Safe only with a long-wavelength Nd:YAG laser and an experienced provider; wrong lasers burn.

How it works

Dermaplaning

Laser Hair Removal

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.
Laser Hair Removal mechanism diagram. Light reaches a pigmented hair: The device and wavelength are chosen for the hair and skin. The follicle absorbs heat: Melanin absorbs energy that injures hair-producing structures. Treated hairs shed: Repeated sessions can reduce growth; complete removal is not assured.
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.

Light reaches a pigmented hair: The device and wavelength are chosen for the hair and skin. The follicle absorbs heat: Melanin absorbs energy that injures hair-producing structures. Treated hairs shed: Repeated sessions can reduce growth; complete removal is not assured.

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

Before your treatment

Dermaplaning
Laser Hair Removal
2–4 weeks before
Not specified

Sun and tanning: Avoid sun and self-tanner on the area, and never be treated on tanned skin.

4 weeks before: Actives and hair removal: Stop retinoids and acids a few days before.

4 weeks before: Actives and hair removal: No waxing, plucking, threading, epilating or hair-removal creams for the whole course; the laser needs the root in the follicle.

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
Laser Hair Removal
Before you arrive

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

Not specified
Arrival & prep

Skin is cleaned and dried.

Skin and hair are assessed and settings chosen for your skin tone and hair type.

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.

The handpiece is pressed on the skin and pulsed in overlapping passes.

Each pulse feels like a hot elastic band flicked at the skin, with a smell of singed hair. An upper lip takes a couple of minutes, full legs 30 to 60. The Nd:YAG stings more than the diode, and the first session on dense hair is the worst.

Before you leave

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

Pink skin with small raised bumps around each hair, like goosebumps; that means the follicles absorbed the energy.

After your treatment

Dermaplaning
Laser Hair Removal
First 24 hours

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

Days 1 to 3: The bumps and pinkness settle over hours to two days, and the area feels like mild sunburn.

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.

Weeks 1 to 3: Treated hairs work their way out of the skin and look exactly like regrowth.

Weeks 4 to 8: The area stays smooth, then resting follicles enter their growing phase and hair appears.

Time to results

Immediately

Hairs shed in 1–3 weeks

How long results last

1–2 weeks; hair regrows in weeks

70–90% reduction; occasional touch-ups

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
  • Burns and blisters
  • Dark patches
  • Pale patches
  • Paradoxical hair growth
  • Folliculitis
  • A cold sore flare

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.

In the US it is priced per session by area.

Insurance

Insurance does not cover it.

Packages of six are cheaper per session, but buying before a test patch means paying before you know whether your hair responds.

Questions

Dermaplaning

Laser Hair Removal

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 laser hair removal permanent?

It is permanent hair reduction, not removal. A course leaves far fewer, finer hairs, with a top-up once or twice a year. Some follicles are destroyed for good, others only weakened.

Does it work on gray, blond or red hair?

No. The laser targets pigment, and these colors have too little of it. No device or setting changes that. Electrolysis works regardless of color.

How many sessions will I need?

Usually 6 to 8 for the main result, 4 weeks apart on the face and 6 to 8 on the body, then top-ups. Hormone-driven hair needs more, and the cause treated alongside.

Is it safe on deeper skin tones?

Yes, with a 1064 nm Nd:YAG and careful settings. The risk comes from older alexandrite devices, IPL, energy too high, or tanned skin. Ask which wavelength will be used and for a test patch.

Why does hair appear a week after my session?

Treated hairs are pushed out over the next one to three weeks, which looks exactly like regrowth. Wipe or exfoliate them away. New growth from resting follicles shows around week four to eight.

Can I shave between sessions?

Yes, and you should. Shaving leaves the root in place, which is what the laser needs. Waxing, plucking and threading remove the target and waste the appointment.

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