OK, I didn't just have a baby. I'm not writing this from the delivery room. My youngest turns one this week. But like every expectant mother, as soon as I saw the positive result on the pregnancy test I made some changes to my skincare routine. The thing with pregnancy skincare is that it's not as dramatically different from the norm as you might expect. I experienced some hormonal acne, which meant I had to use some additional products to treat that. But the biggest thing that had to change was that I stopped using retinol. I gave it up for the entire pregnancy and for just under a year afterwards. I'm now ready to pick it up again and have chosen the Olay Regenerist Retinol24 Night Face Moisturiser, which alongside being one the best night creams I've ever used, is also a really gentle introductory retinoid product. Perfect for my return to vitamin A use.
Before I found out I was pregnant I was using a potent form of vitamin A in Medik8 Crystal Retinal 6, which is formulated with 0.06% encapsulated retinaldehyde. As you might know, retinol products can cause sensitivity and dermatologists always recommended that if you're new to them, or restarting your journey after pregnancy, you should start slow. Dr Maryam Zamani says, "Start with a low concentration 2-3 times a week and gently increase slowly with a night cream. It’s always best to start slowly to diminish potential side effects and build a tolerance."
