Can I use retinol while pregnant?

Pregnancy is a question to settle early with retinol, and Cleveland Clinic's retinol guide is clear about who to talk to and when.

The direct answer

Cleveland Clinic writes: "Since there are other ways to treat skin conditions, healthcare providers discourage the use of retinoids if you’re pregnant." The advice is to avoid them, and the reason given is that other options exist.

Retinol specifically

For topical retinol, the same guide says: "Topical retinol can help make stretch marks less noticeable but talk to your healthcare provider before using it during pregnancy or while breastfeeding." Even where a benefit is named, the instruction attached to it is to talk to your healthcare provider first.

The earliest point to raise it

The guide places the first step before pregnancy begins: "Tell your doctor if you plan to become pregnant, and consider birth control methods if you use retinol products." That makes planning the earliest sign worth acting on, ahead of anything that shows up on skin. Wider skin care reading is collected in Dermatologist-Approved Tips for Healthier Skin from the Cleveland Clinic newsroom, in the AAD's skin care secrets, and in Houston Methodist's skin care routine for your 30s, 40s, 50s and beyond.

Raising it with your doctor

If you use retinol and a pregnancy is possible, raise it with your doctor now instead of waiting for a change in your skin. Readers in St. Johns, Florida, can do that at their next appointment, and can ask what to use in its place.