When to stop using retinol: reactions, pregnancy and procedures

Stop using retinol straight away if your skin burns and doesn’t settle, swells, blisters, crusts or breaks out in an itchy rash, and get urgent help for hives, trouble breathing or swelling of your face, lips, tongue or throat. Pause it on purpose while you’re trying to conceive, pregnant or breastfeeding, and for a few days to a few weeks before waxing or laser treatment. Before a peel, follow your dermatologist’s plan, which may even include a retinoid.

Retinol reaction or normal adjustment? Signs to stop

Dryness, flaking and a brief tingle in the first weeks are the expected part, and the side effects episode in this series covers them. A reaction to stop for is different: it’s getting worse instead of better, or it goes beyond dryness.

Irritation or allergy?

The MedlinePlus adapalene leaflet sorts reactions into two groups. Redness, scaling, dryness and burning or stinging are the common ones, most likely in the first few weeks: that’s irritation, often called retinoid dermatitis. Hives, itching and swelling are the ones it flags as serious. Stop either way, and if it doesn’t settle quickly, a dermatologist can work out which it was.

What to do tonight after a retinol reaction

How to restart retinol after a break

Wait until your skin has felt normal for at least a week. That’s our rule of thumb, not a number from a study. Then go back a few steps: two nights a week, moisturizer before and after, and nothing else new at the same time. If the first reaction was more than mild irritation, or it comes back even at the slower pace, see a dermatologist rather than trying a third time. They can suggest a different strength, a different retinoid or an option that isn’t a retinoid at all.

Can you use retinol while pregnant or trying to conceive?

The AAD lists retinoids among the ingredients to avoid during pregnancy, from prescription isotretinoin, tretinoin and tazarotene to adapalene (over the counter in the US) and skin care with retinol, because they can put a baby at risk of birth defects. Nubia plays it safe here and goes a little further: retinoids stay out of your routine while you’re trying to conceive, pregnant or breastfeeding, unless your clinician says otherwise.

I used retinol before I knew I was pregnant

This is one of the most common worries, so here’s the evidence. A 2015 systematic review and meta-analysis in the British Journal of Dermatology pooled 654 pregnancies exposed to topical retinoids in the first trimester and 1,375 unexposed ones. It found no significant increase in major birth defects, miscarriage, low birth weight or premature birth. The authors say the result can reassure people who were exposed by accident, and they’re just as clear that the study isn’t strong enough to justify using topical retinoids in pregnancy. So it’s a reason not to panic, not a reason to keep going: stop now, and tell your midwife, obstetrician or doctor what you used and when. Pills are a different story: if you took isotretinoin, call your prescriber right away.

Retinol while breastfeeding

Advice varies more here. The adapalene leaflet, for example, asks you to tell your doctor you’re breastfeeding, and if you do use it, to apply the smallest amount and keep it off the nipple and areola. Nubia stays on the cautious side here too, so retinoids remain paused until your clinician tells you otherwise.

When to stop retinol before waxing, peels and lasers

Planning treatments before a wedding or another big day? The Big day prep series walks through the timing.

When to see a dermatologist about retinol

Book an appointment if a reaction came with blisters, swelling, crusting or a spreading rash, or if irritation comes back every time you restart, even at two nights a week. Dark marks where your skin got irritated, acne that’s deep, painful or scarring, or wanting something stronger (or, during pregnancy, options that fit) are good reasons too.

A dermatologist can check whether it was irritation or an allergy, change the strength or schedule, switch you to a different retinoid, or suggest options that aren’t retinoids at all.

Safety note: If your skin burns, swells or blisters, stop your retinoid. Hives, trouble breathing or swelling of your lips, tongue or throat need emergency care.