Avoid using skin products that can cause irritation, such as harsh soaps, shampoos, hair coloring or permanent chemicals, hair removers or waxes, or skin products with alcohol, spices, astringents, or lime. Avoid using other medications on the areas you treat with tretinoin topical unless your doctor tells you to.
Don't Mix: Retinol with vitamin C, benzoyl peroxide, and AHA/BHA acids. AHA and BHA acids are exfoliating, which can dry out skin and cause further irritation if your skincare routine already includes retinol. As for benzoyl peroxide and retinol, they cancel each other out.
Some products that may interact with this drug include: hair perming solutions, alcohol/lime/menthol-containing products (such as astringents, toners, shaving lotions), medicated or abrasive soaps and cleansers, products containing sulfur, resorcinol or salicylic acid, products containing alpha hydroxy acid, products ...
It's perfectly safe to use a moisturizer at the same time as tretinoin, although you should avoid using moisturizers that contain any alcohols or ingredients such as benzoyl peroxide, which can worsen dry skin.
Using a hyaluronic acid moisturizer at the same time as retinol or tretinoin can help your skin to stay hydrated and may prevent or lighten these side effects.
Fortunately, it's safe to mix niacinamide and retinol. In fact, the combination is considered to have numerous benefits.
Sheila Krishna, it's totally fine to use vitamin C with over-the-counter retinol products or dermatologist-grade retinoids—which, BTW, is the broader term for vitamin A derivatives, including retinol, tretinoin, and adapalene, just to name a few.
Dr. Mariwalla says coating your skin with Vaseline after applying retinoids or AHA acids would increase penetration of these ingredients, potentially leading to irritation.
1. Wash face thoroughly with a mild soap or a gentle alcohol-free non-soap cleanser such as Neutrogena Fresh Foaming Wash, Cetaphil cleanser, or CeraVe cleanser. Pat skin dry and wait for skin to thoroughly dry, about 5-15 minutes.
Do not use this medicine in or around the eyes or lips, or inside of the nose. Spread the medicine away from these areas when applying. If it accidentally gets on these areas, wash with water at once. Before applying tretinoin, wash the skin with a mild soap or cleanser and warm water by using the tips of your fingers.
Unless your doctor tells you otherwise, it is especially important to avoid using the following skin products on the same area as tretinoin: Any other topical acne product or skin product containing a peeling agent (eg, benzoyl peroxide, resorcinol, salicylic acid, or sulfur).
Vitamin A and vitamin K can have negative interactions with blood thinners, so you should avoid taking both. Some herbal remedies can also interact with the blood thinner warfarin (Coumadin) including: Cranberry.
Tretinoin (Retin-A) is usually prescribed as a skin cream to treat acne or reduce wrinkles and is not as concentrated as other retinoids. However, you may still want to avoid taking a vitamin A supplement while using Retin-A.
A combination of retinoids and humectants such as niacinamide, panthenol, glycerin, and hyaluronic acid can help slow down TEWLs during application of retinoid. Hyaluronic Acid is an excellent ingredient to alleviate some of these concerns.
Good news: Retinol and hyaluronic acid actually have a synergistic effect. “They can be combined so that the benefits of retinol can be achieved more easily with concomitant use of hyaluronic acid, which helps to prevent retinol irritation,” says Hartman.
Hyaluronic Acid and Niacinamide
These water-based treatments are a great pair and are made for all skin types — especially babes with dry, acne-prone skin. You'll find niacinamide, a form of vitamin B3, in my Rewind Retinol Serum. Use hyaluronic acid first, followed by my retinol for the best results.
Generally, it is not recommended to use a Salicylic Acid cleanser or leave-on exfoliant with Retinol since it can lead to dry skin, leading to other irritation. However, for people with oily acne-prone skin or oily mature skin, the combination can be beneficial.
In the morning, wash your face with a mild facial scrub or rough washcloth. This will help reduce the noticeable flaking. After washing, apply a good water-based moisturizer. The moisturizer will make the drying effect of the medicine more tolerable.
Can you use retinol and glycolic acid at the same time? Yes and no. You can use them at different times on the same day if your skin can tolerate it, but generally speaking it's best to alternate days to avoid sensitivity.
But does it have moisturizing and calming benefits that can help ease irritation or inflammation? Yes. As far as my retinoid journey goes, Dr. Chen agreed that aloe vera's cooling ability and mild antibacterial benefits could likely help with the sensitivity and purging that comes with skin retinization.
Yes. It's perfectly safe to use a moisturizer with tretinoin.
Slugging and retinoids
Don't mix in the slug life when using a retinoid. Slugging while using retinoids could increase irritation. If you want to use a petroleum-based product to soothe irritation caused by a retinoid, that is fair game. But it's not a good idea to do both at the same time.
Using niacinamide before retinol works well. So does combining them into one product. A 2016 study found that a product containing retinol, niacinamide, hexylresorcinol, and resveratrol improved fine lines, sallowness, wrinkling, hyperpigmentation, and skin tone.
It's best to apply Vitamin C before Retinol, as Vitamin C has a lower pH than Retinol. Once your skin absorbs the Vitamin C serum, your skin will return to its regular pH levels after 30 minutes or so. (You want your skin to return to its normal pH levels so vitamin C doesn't lower the pH of retinol.)
To avoid overstimulating your skin while you start tretinoin, most experts suggest saving serums for the morning and using tretinoin at night. Good serums are those that complement the effects of your retinoid. Niacinamide helps soothe irritated skin and protect the skin barrier.