If Retinol is perfectly safe, why can't you use it when pregnant or breastfeeding?

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Hi,

Just that really.

Have only recently started using it (ok results I suppose) but am considering another baby and heard you should stop using it if you're pregnant, which made me wonder why.

Assuming it would also be a good idea to stop using for a while before you TTC, in preparation?

Thoughts?

Like in most things they're unable to run tests using pregnant women. Therefore it's recommended to not use in case there's an issue

It’s vitamin a. Same thing as in liver that makes it not advised in pregnancy.

www.nhs.uk/conditions/vitamins-and-minerals/vitamin-a/

www.birthdefects.org/healthy-baby/nutrition/vitamins-supplements/

Well I don't know much much about retinols but I know that isotretinoin

(roaccutane)is a crazy drug and is classed as a retinol (prescription only) and it causes significant birth defects and miscarriage rates. If you're on it you need to be on 2 forms of birth control.

So I'd imagine it's because of that? Retinols are High doses of vitamin A in a topical form (obviously not as wrong as isotretinoin) and vitamin A is known to cause birth defects

What NewYoiker said. It's more than it just not being tested on pregnant women. Retinol is much weaker than actual prescription retinoids, but still I would never risk it.

Retinol is vitamin A which, in large doses, can be dangerous in pregnancy.

The chances that topically applied retinol could find it's way into your bloodstream in large enough quantities to cause harm to the baby is minute, but they understandably won't run tests on pregnant women for cosmetic products.

Vitamin A is dangerous to a growing foetus , also skin is very sensitive to sunlight and hyper pigmentation in pregnancy so retinol not ideal at that time .