--- title: "Desvanecimento da pele" date: 2026-11-15 published: 2026-11-13 author: "" --- # Desvanecimento da pele [Home](/) / [Men’s hairstyles](/mens-hairstyles/) / Skin Fade# Skin Fade The sides and back go down to bare skin and blend up into the length on top. FadeSkinGrade 0 to skinEvery 2 weeks A skin fade takes the sides and back of the head down to bare skin at the bottom, then blends up through the clipper grades into the length on top. The bottom is finished with a foil shaver or a razor, not just a clipper, so you see scalp rather than stubble. It is also called a bald fade or a zero fade, and it is the sharpest finish in the [men’s hairstyles directory](/mens-hairstyles/). ![Man with a curly top and a skin fade, front view](/wp-content/uploads/mens-hairstyles/photos/realistic/skin-fade-haircut-front-photo.jpg)Front ![Profile of a skin fade under a textured top, the sides taken down to bare skin](/wp-content/uploads/mens-hairstyles/photos/realistic/skin-fade-haircut-profile-photo.jpg)Profile The same cut from the front and in profile. ## At a glance Also calledBald fade, zero fade SidesShaved to skin at the bottom, blending up through the grades TopAnything from 2 to 8cm Where it startsUsually mid height, blending up to about the temple. Can be low or high Goes down toSkin, finished with a foil shaver or a razor UpkeepEvery 2 weeks. Skin shows regrowth within days Best onOval, square and round faces Avoid ifYou have scalp marks or irritation you would rather not show Popularised byCristiano Ronaldo (a buzz cut with a high skin fade in 2026), Ashley Walters (an afro buzz cut with a skin fade and line-up) Upkeep**5 / 5** Bare skin shows stubble within a week Styling effort**2 / 5** Depends on the top, usually little Length needed**1 / 5** Works with almost any top length ## £5 off your first delivery A fresh cut looks sharpest with a clean neckline. A sharp blade keeps it that way between visits, without the razor burn a blunt one leaves. *This page has a form, which is not reproduced here. Use the page itself to fill it in.* £5 off your first subscription or VIP order – one per customer, unsubscribe with 1 click ## How to ask your barber 1. **Ask for skin**Say skin fade and where it should start: low, mid or high. 2. **Give the top length**In centimetres, or how many fingers’ width. 3. **Ask how they finish**Most barbers finish with a foil shaver or a razor. If your skin reacts, ask them to stop at a grade 0. 4. **Book the next one**Book two weeks out before you leave, while the fade is still crisp. ## The variations The same cut, worn differently. What changes is the length, where the short part starts and how the top is styled. **Low skin fade** Skin starts below the temple Subtler, and grows out better. **Mid skin fade** Skin to the temple The usual version. **High skin fade** Skin to the top of the sides The most contrast. **With a crop** 2 to 4cm, forward Popular and low effort. **With a quiff** 5cm or more on top Bare sides against volume on top. **Into a beard** Fade blends into the beard The sideburn fades straight into the beard. ## Will it work with your hair? Hair type decides how a cut sits and how fast it loses its shape. The table below is the short version. Straight Works A very clean gradient, though regrowth shows fast. Wavy Ideal Waves on top, crisp sides. Curly Ideal Strong contrast between curls and bare sides. Coily Ideal Fades show crisply on dense coily hair. Thick Ideal Takes all the bulk off the sides. Fine or thinning Works A short top over a skin fade makes thin hair look deliberate. ## Will it suit your face? Where a cut adds height and where it takes width away decides how it sits with your face shape. Hair type matters more, but this is the short version. Oval Ideal Balanced proportions, so the cut itself decides. Round Ideal Bare sides with some height on top slim a round face. Square Ideal Texture on top softens the angles. Oblong Works Keep the height down and push the texture forward. Heart Works Texture brought forward suits it better than height. Diamond Works Keep some fullness on top and at the temples. ## Beard styles that go with it Hair and beard are one outline. These keep the proportions right with this cut. [![Man in a white T-shirt with a beard fade, a full beard that gets shorter up the cheeks and blends into a skin fade haircut, front view](/wp-content/uploads/beard-styles/photos/beard-fade-beard-style-front-photo.jpg) **Beard fade**The bare sideburn blends into the beard instead of stopping dead.](/beard-styles/beard-fade/) [![Man in a light blue shirt with a boxed beard, short and neat with crisp cheek lines and a moustache, front view](/wp-content/uploads/beard-styles/photos/boxed-beard-beard-style-front-photo.jpg) **Boxed beard**Clean edges on the beard echo the clean fade.](/beard-styles/boxed-beard/) [![Man in a grey jumper with designer stubble, an even short growth across the cheeks, jaw, chin and top lip, front view](/wp-content/uploads/beard-styles/photos/stubble-beard-style-front-photo.jpg) **Stubble**Stubble softens the contrast of bare sides.](/beard-styles/stubble/) ## What a skin fade is “Skin” describes how short the fade goes, not where it starts. The barber takes the lowest part of the sides and back to skin, then works upwards through a half grade (about 1.5mm), a grade 1 (3mm), a grade 2 (6mm) and so on, blending each step so there is no visible line, until it meets the length on top. ![Young man with a curly top and the sides taken down to a skin fade, looking over his shoulder](/wp-content/uploads/mens-hairstyles/photos/skin-fade-curly-top.jpg) Two things make it a skin fade rather than an ordinary fade. - **It reaches bare skin.** A grade 0 on the clipper still leaves about half a millimetre to a millimetre of hair. A skin fade goes past that with a foil shaver or an open razor. - **It runs right round the head.** The short band covers the sides and the back, not just the sideburns and neckline. That is the difference between a skin fade and a skin taper. The top can be anything from a buzz to 8cm or more. The fade decides the sides, the top is a separate choice. ## Skin fade vs taper fade These two get confused more than any other pair. A [taper fade](/mens-hairstyles/taper-fade/) only shortens the edges of the hairline, the sideburns and the nape, and leaves the rest of the sides at length. A skin fade takes the whole of the lower sides and back down to skin. A taper can also go to skin at the very bottom, which barbers call a skin taper. That is still a taper, because only the edges are short. And a taper finished at a grade 0.5 or 1 is not a skin fade at all, however short it looks. If you are unsure which you want, look at the hair just above and behind your ear. Left at length, it is a taper. Taken down to skin and blended up, it is a skin fade. ## Low, mid and high skin fade The height is where the skin stops and the blend begins. It changes the look more than anything else. - **Low skin fade.** Skin only just above the ear and around the neckline, blending up quickly. The subtlest version, and it grows out the most gently. The [low fade](/mens-hairstyles/low-fade/) page covers this height in detail. - **Mid skin fade.** Skin around and below the ear, blending up to about temple height. The usual version, and the one you will get if you just say “skin fade” in most barbers. - **High skin fade.** Skin up to the top of the sides, with a short blend into the top. The most contrast, and the most head on show. The [high fade](/mens-hairstyles/high-fade/) page covers it. ![Profile in a barbershop of a high skin fade, the top swept back and to the side](/wp-content/uploads/mens-hairstyles/photos/high-skin-fade-swept-top-side-view.jpg) There are also shapes rather than heights. A [drop fade](/mens-hairstyles/drop-fade/) curves down behind the ear towards the nape, and a [burst fade](/mens-hairstyles/burst-fade/) is cut in an arc around the ear. Both can be taken to skin. ## Who suits a skin fade **Hair type.** It works on almost all of them. On thick, curly and coily hair it gives the strongest contrast, because dense hair on top sits right next to bare skin. On wavy hair it removes the part that flicks out at the sides. On straight hair the gradient is very clean, though regrowth shows quickly. Fine hair can look fuller with a short textured top over a skin fade, because the short sides make the top look thicker by comparison. ![Profile in a barbershop of a mid skin fade under a textured top](/wp-content/uploads/mens-hairstyles/photos/realistic/skin-fade-textured-top-barbershop-profile.jpg) **Thinning or receding.** Often a good choice. Taking the sides right down makes thinning on top look deliberate rather than accidental. Keep the top short and textured rather than long and flat. The [haircuts for balding men](/mens-hairstyles/haircuts-for-balding-men/) page has more. **Face shape.** Oval and square faces suit any height. On a round face, a mid or high skin fade with some height on top makes it look longer. On a long, narrow face, avoid pairing a high skin fade with a tall top, which adds length. **Scalp.** Bare skin shows everything. If you have scars, marks or a scalp that reacts to close shaving, a low skin fade or a grade 0 fade may be kinder. **Upkeep.** The honest cost. Skin shows stubble within days, so a skin fade suits men who are happy to sit in the barber’s chair every couple of weeks. ## How to ask your barber for a skin fade **Ask for skin, and say where.** “Mid skin fade” is clear. Point to where you want the skin to stop, especially if you want it low or high. **Give the top length.** In centimetres, or how many fingers’ width. Say how you style it. **Ask how they finish.** Most barbers use a foil shaver at the bottom. Some use an open razor. If your skin reacts badly to either, ask them to stop at a grade 0, and accept that it will be a fade rather than a true skin fade. **Say what you want at the back.** A rounded or tapered neckline, and if you want the fade to drop lower behind the ear, say so. **Book the next one.** Before you leave, while it still looks sharp. Two weeks out is the norm. If you wear a beard, ask for a beard fade, which blends the sideburn down from skin into the beard so there is no step between the two. It is done in the same sitting, not at the temple. ## What to wear on top - **[Textured crop](/mens-hairstyles/textured-crop/) or French crop.** 2 to 4cm pushed forward. The most common pairing and very little work. - **Quiff.** 5cm or more lifted at the front. Bare sides against volume on top. - **Buzz cut.** A grade 2 to 4 on top, skin at the sides. Nothing to style at all. - **Curls.** Left full on top, with the strongest contrast of any combination. ## Styling and scalp care The fade itself needs nothing. Style the top as you would anyway, usually a small amount of matte clay or paste on a crop, a cream or clay for a quiff and a curl cream on damp hair for curls. The bare skin does need a bit of thought. It has been shaved, so treat it like freshly shaved skin. Keep heavy products off it for the first day or two, and if it goes red or itchy, a plain unscented moisturiser helps. In summer, the skin at the sides burns as easily as any other skin. ## How often to get it cut Every two weeks for most people, and some go weekly. Hair grows roughly 1cm a month, so within a few days the skin has a visible shadow, and by the end of the second week the bottom of the fade looks more like a grade 0.5 than skin. ![Profile of a short crop with a mid skin fade, in a barber's chair](/wp-content/uploads/mens-hairstyles/photos/realistic/skin-fade-short-crop-barbershop-profile.jpg) At three weeks it still looks tidy, especially a low skin fade, but no longer sharp. A high skin fade shows regrowth soonest, because there is more skin to grow back. Between cuts, a quick neckline and sideburn tidy at the barber is cheaper than a full cut and buys you another week. ## Questions we get asked What is the difference between a skin fade and a bald fade?None. They are two names for the same cut, a fade that goes down to bare skin at the bottom. “Zero fade” is used for it too, though strictly a grade 0 leaves a little hair. Is a grade 0 a skin fade?Not quite. A grade 0 is the clipper with no guard, which leaves about half a millimetre to a millimetre of hair. A true skin fade is finished with a foil shaver or razor so the bottom is bare. How long does a skin fade last?It looks sharp for about a week and tidy for two. Most people book every two weeks. By week three it looks noticeably grown out. Does a skin fade suit a receding hairline?Often, yes. Very short sides make thinning on top look deliberate. Keep the top short and textured rather than slicked back. Will a skin fade irritate my skin?It can, because the bottom is shaved. Tell your barber before they start if your skin is sensitive. They can stop at a grade 0 instead of taking it to skin. What is the difference between a skin fade and a skin taper?A skin fade takes the whole lower part of the sides and back down to skin. A skin taper only takes the sideburns and the neckline to skin and leaves the rest of the sides at length. ## Other fades Close relatives, and how they differ. [Low FadeAbove the ear](/mens-hairstyles/low-fade/)[High FadeTop of the sides](/mens-hairstyles/high-fade/)[Burst FadeAround the ear](/mens-hairstyles/burst-fade/)[Drop FadeCurves behind the ear](/mens-hairstyles/drop-fade/) ## Browse by what matters to you The same directory, cut a different way. [Types of Fade HaircutWhere the fade starts, how short it goes, and the shapes in between.](/mens-hairstyles/types-of-fade/)[Haircuts for Balding and Thinning HairShort cuts that make thinning hair look deliberate.](/mens-hairstyles/haircuts-for-balding-men/) [All 29 hairstylesThe full directory](/mens-hairstyles/) [Razor subscriptionFor a clean neckline between cuts. Five-blade refills from £10](/)