Dermatologist Shereene Idriss advises postpartum skincare for breastfeeding parents: skip retinol and hydroquinone for the first three months if exclusively breastfeeding, focus on barrier repair and hydration instead, and you can resume retinol once you supplement or switch to formula.
There is so much fear surrounding breastfeeding that it is ridiculous and it's going to only induce more stress in the postpartum phase. Take a step back. Your baby's born. If you are exclusively breastfeeding for the first three months afterwards then maybe you want to be a little bit more conservative. Don't use necessarily a retinol, don't go on hydroquinone. Take it easy. Just focus your skin on a routine that's just taking care of its skin barrier and hydration. If you're someone who's formula feeding and addiction to breastfeeding and after this first three months and your baby is now being supplemented with food, then knock yourself out, use a retinol, have fun. It's fine even if you are breastfeeding because guess what, your face is less than 4% 5% of your body surface area and that systemic absorption is even less than that. And your baby's probably nibbling harder than most unlike solids. So you'll be fine, the baby will be fine.
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