I tried a TikTok beauty trend… but it destroyed my face

A woman claims that she destroyed her face by attempting a seemingly harmless TikTok beauty trend.

Regina Quaye, from Ghana, resorted to DIY ‘dermaplaning’ to get rid of her ‘peach fuzz’ in November. 

The procedure is similar to shaving, although an exfoliating blade is used to slowly skim dead skin cells from the face, as well as hair. It boomed in popularity on social media in 2019. 

Three days after attempting to get rid of her facial hair, the 24-year-old’s face broke out in acne and became painful and swollen. 

Miss Quaye, who has 37,000 TikTok followers herself, decided to go to hospital as a precaution.

Miss Quaye has shared her experience with face shaving on TikTok, showing before and afters of her skin

Doctors prescribed her hydrocortisone cream to calm her skin down, and her skin eventually returned to normal. 

She shared her experience on TikTok — showing dramatic before and after pictures. 

‘I’d tried it once in 2021 and broke out,’ Miss Quaye said.

‘But I thought it was the new skincare products I was using at the time.’

Discussing her latest experience, she added: ‘My skin started to flare up three days after I shaved. 

‘I experienced a terrible breakout to the extent that my face became swollen.’ 

However, she claims her skin is now acne-prone and very oily, meaning she can only use oil-free skin care products. 

Yet experts insist the procedure itself cannot cause acne.

Instead, it may trigger flare-ups in people who already struggle with spots. This is because shaving over ‘active acne’ can spread spot-causing bacteria and make it worse. 

Famous beauties such as Elizabeth Taylor, Marilyn Monroe and Cleopatra were all said to shaved their faces as part of their routine. 

However, skin experts say having fine ‘vellus’ hair on the face is ‘absolutely normal’ and that dermaplaning — also called microplaning or blading — should only ever be done by a professional.

And in some instances, dermatologists say the hair can grow back worse and what might have been considered mild facial hair can come back thicker. 

Doctors prescribed her hydrocortisone cream to calm her skin down, and her skin eventually returned to normal (Pictured are her before and after shots of her skin)

Dermaplaning, or full-face shaving, at home boomed in popularity on TikTok and YouTube in 2019 (file photo)

Other risks include infection from non sterile razors and from physical injury to the skin, and photosensitivity leading to sunburn from physical exfoliation.

Dr Mary Sommerlad, consultant dermatologist and British Skin Foundation spokesperson, said: ‘At home dermaplaning has increased in popularity over recent years. 

‘Although social media will often display positive results, as a dermatologist I would be very cautious of at home procedures such as this.

‘Dermaplaning is also not suitable for those with inflammatory skin conditions such as acne or eczema.

‘It’s also worth remembering that many of the perceived benefits from dermaplaning can be achieved in a less risky fashion such as following consistent skincare routine targeted to your skins needs.’