After the sun, heat, and sensitivity of summer, your skin is ready for cooler fall temperatures and the opportunity to benefit from retinol’s skin-healing effects.
If you reduced or paused retinol during the summer, fall can be a good time to gently reintroduce it. Instead of jumping into your full routine right away, the best strategy is to support the skin barrier and gradually reintroduce retinol products into your fall routine.
Whether you are new to retinol and just discovering its anti-aging benefits, or have a consistent routine, this article has something for you. We’re diving into how to start using retinol again, what ingredients to pair with your retinol serum, and answering your most-asked questions. Continue reading as we explore:
- How to use retinol this fall
- How much retinol to use and what to expect
- How to use retinol serum at night
- Why you need hyaluronic acid serum and skin barrier cream too
- Retinol vs. bakuchiol serum
- Building your fall nighttime skincare routine
- Retinol FAQs
Why Fall is the Right Season to Restart Your Retinol Serum
Summer sun exposure may leave skin more sensitive, so retinol use should reflect your skin’s tolerance rather than the season alone. But in the fall, the focus shifts to healing, repair, and regeneration, and gradually reintroducing retinol, when tolerated, provides anti-aging support.
Retinol, a form of vitamin A, is one of the most-studied topical skincare and dermatological ingredients. It improves fine lines, wrinkles, hyperpigmentation (dark spots), roughness, and photoaging. It’s an overall clinically effective anti-aging nutrient.
However, retinol can cause redness and peeling, especially when you first start using it. Introduce it gradually when your skin feels comfortable, rather than increasing use simply because the season has changed. Fall can be a good time to introduce retinol or gradually increase use, as tolerated.
What Retinol Does to the Skin, and Why it Causes Peeling
Retinol is an active molecule that influences the skin’s structure, improving skin health and appearance. Skin regeneration involves replacing older skin cells with new ones. Temporary peeling during retinol use can be an irritation response as skin adjusts.
Skin turnover is the process of sloughing off old skin cells and replacing them with new, younger ones. Retinol speeds up this natural process and promotes benefits such as smoother skin with fewer fine lines, roughness, and wrinkles.
When you first use retinol, your skin may go through an adjustment period, and you may notice some peeling. You may also notice tightness, dryness, redness, or irritation. Even the best retinol serum, retinol eye cream, or retinol night cream can cause this. As your skin adjusts, however, side effects typically go away. Peeling is not required for results; reduce frequency or pause if irritation persists.
How to Reintroduce Retinol Without Irritation or Downtime
If you’ve taken a summer break from retinol, your skin might not tolerate resuming the same retinol frequency as before; you may need to start more slowly while also focusing on hydration and skin barrier repair.
With retinol, the rule of thumb is to start low and slow. In general, sensitive and dry skin may tolerate a lower frequency, while those with oily, acne-prone, or aging skin may be able to use retinol products more often.
Here’s a flexible schedule for reintroducing retinol. Stay at each stage longer if needed:
|
Timeline |
How often to use retinol |
Focus |
|
Weeks 1-2 |
1-2 nights per week |
Re-establish retinol tolerance, hydration and skin barrier support |
|
Weeks 3-4 |
3-4 nights per week, as comfortable and tolerated |
Build retinol tolerance, hydration and skin barrier support |
|
Weeks 5+ |
Increase only if comfortable; daily use is optional |
Adjust use to your skin’s needs, establish a consistent routine year-round |
The Best Ingredients to Pair with Retinol for Skin Barrier Repair
Hydrated skin with a healthy skin barrier tolerates retinol products better, so when you think about skincare ingredients to pair with retinol, focus on hydration and skin-barrier-supportive options.
Hyaluronic acid is a must-have ingredient to pair with retinol. It’s one of the most hydrating molecules and works by literally pulling water into the skin and holding it there. Choose a hydrating serum with hyaluronic acid such as NassifMD® Hydro-Screen Hydration Serum or NassifMD® Night Therapy Serum. Both also contain retinol, with NassifMD® Night Therapy Serum the more potent retinol formulation, so either can be your retinol step rather than an additional retinol-free hydrating serum.
Summer sun exposure and heat can contribute to a damaged skin barrier, leaving skin more vulnerable to dryness and irritation. Fall is the time to nourish and heal the skin barrier. Choose skin barrier cream and other products with proven skin barrier ingredients including ceramides, fatty acids, and nourishing oils. NassifMD® Hydro-Screen Hydration Serum provides the trifecta of retinol, hyaluronic acid, and ceramides. Pair it with NassifMD® Skin Barrier Protection Cream for complete barrier support.
Retinol can increase photosensitivity (sun sensitivity); always use sunscreen when using retinol. For reintroduction, apply your chosen retinol product at night, then apply sunscreen the following morning as the last step in your morning routine. Follow each product’s directions for continued use, including morning use where directed. Choose from NassifMD® Simply Hydration Sheer Daily Sunscreen SPF40, NassifMD® Protect & Hydrate SPF44 Tinted, or NassifMD® Shield & Smooth Daily Mineral Sunscreen SPF40.
Bakuchiol Vs. Retinol: Which Works Better for Sensitive Skin
Bakuchiol is a natural retinol alternative that provides similar benefits, often without redness or peeling, making it a great fit for sensitive skin.
Bakuchiol and retinol are different molecules. Retinol is a form of vitamin A, and bakuchiol is a compound from the babchi plant. Both promote cellular turnover and anti-aging and skin-restoring benefits, improving the visible appearance of the skin. A 12-week study comparing retinol to bakuchiol found no significant difference in improvements in wrinkles and hyperpigmentation with 0.5% bakuchiol used twice daily versus 0.5% retinol used once daily. Retinol users reported more scaling and stinging.
You’ll find bakuchiol featured in NassifMD® Detox Facial Pads and NassifMD® Hydro-Screen Soufflé. You can also combine retinol and bakuchiol products in your skincare routine.
Building a Nighttime Retinol Routine You Can Actually Sustain
How to use retinol at night is as simple as adding a NassifMD® Retinol Product to your skincare routine.
Follow this template for your retinol skincare routine on planned retinol nights:
- Cleanse with a gentle, non-stripping cleanser (NassifMD® options here)
- Provide balanced exfoliation, skin prep, and double cleansing with NassifMD® Detox Facial Pads as already tolerated. During reintroduction, reduce frequency or use on non-retinol nights if irritation occurs; do not increase exfoliation and retinol together.
- Apply one retinol night serum: NassifMD® Hydro-Screen Hydration Serum or NassifMD® Night Therapy Serum. Start with 1-2 times weekly and increase slowly, as tolerated. Use one formula while re-establishing tolerance and follow its directions for the amount to apply. Please note: NassifMD® Night Therapy Serum is the more potent of the two formulas.
- Nourish and protect with a skin barrier repair cream: NassifMD® Skin Barrier Protection Cream
Retinol is your ticket to smoother, firmer skin this fall and the perfect way to rejuvenate your skin after the summer season. Choose a high-quality retinol product from NassifMD® facial plastic surgeon skincare, start slowly, listen to your skin, and enjoy the anti-aging benefits retinol offers.
Retinol Routine FAQs
How often should you use retinol when starting again?
Begin by using retinol just 1 or 2 times weekly for the first couple of weeks and then slowly increasing frequency as tolerated.
Why does retinol cause peeling and irritation at first?
Retinol affects how skin cells renew, but early peeling and dryness can reflect irritation during the adjustment period. Peeling is not required for results; reduce frequency or pause if irritation persists.
Can you use retinol and hyaluronic acid serum together?
Yes, and you should use them together. Hyaluronic acid improves hydration while retinol can be drying.
Is bakuchiol serum as effective as retinol?
In the cited 12-week study, bakuchiol and retinol produced comparable improvements in wrinkles and hyperpigmentation, with better tolerability for bakuchiol. This does not establish identical results across every formula or concentration.
How long does it take to see results from retinol?
You may begin to notice the effects of retinol in NassifMD® Hydro-Screen Hydration Serum and other retinol products in as little as 4 weeks, with continued skin renewal with consistent use over time.
References
- Farris P. (2022). SUPPLEMENT ARTICLE: Retinol: The Ideal Retinoid for Cosmetic Solutions. Journal of drugs in dermatology : JDD, 21(7), s4–s10.
- Zasada, M., & Budzisz, E. (2019). Retinoids: active molecules influencing skin structure formation in cosmetic and dermatological treatments. Postepy dermatologii i alergologii, 36(4), 392–397.
- Dhaliwal, S., Rybak, I., Ellis, S. R., Notay, M., Trivedi, M., Burney, W., Vaughn, A. R., Nguyen, M., Reiter, P., Bosanac, S., Yan, H., Foolad, N., & Sivamani, R. K. (2019). Prospective, randomized, double-blind assessment of topical bakuchiol and retinol for facial photoageing. The British journal of dermatology, 180(2), 289–296.
- American Academy of Dermatology Association. Retinoid or retinol? Updated May 25, 2021. https://www.aad.org/public/everyday-care/skin-care-secrets/anti-aging/retinoid-retinol