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Expert care for a wide range of skin conditions, ensuring healthy, radiant skin.
Lesions & Bumps
Comprehensive care for skin lesions and bumps, promoting clear and healthy skin.
Lifting & Tightening
Advanced treatments to lift and lighten the skin, enhancing firmness and brightness.
Rejuvenation
Revitalize your skin with advanced treatments designed to restore a youthful glow.
Skin Treatments
Effective solutions for a variety of skin concerns, promoting clear and healthy skin.
Wellness
Holistic skincare approaches to support overall skin health and well-being.
Advanced, non-invasive treatments to rejuvenate your appearance without surgery.
Body Treatments
Transformative, non-invasive treatments to sculpt and tone your body effortlessly.
Facial Treatments
Rejuvenating facial treatments to refresh and enhance your natural radiance.
Hair Treatments
Advanced treatments to restore hair vitality and promote healthy growth.
Injectables
Minimally invasive injectables to smooth wrinkles and enhance facial contours.
Precision cosmetic surgery tailored to enhance and refine your natural beauty.
Body Surgery
Expertly performed body surgeries to reshape, contour, and enhance your physique.
Breast Surgery
Specialized breast surgeries to enhance shape, size, and symmetry for a natural look.
Cosmetic Andrology
Advanced procedures designed to enhance male aesthetics and address intimate concerns.
Cosmetic Gynaecology
Tailored surgical solutions to enhance feminine aesthetics and improve intimate well-being.
Facial Surgery
Precision facial surgeries to refine features and achieve natural, balanced results.
Fat Transfer/Removal
Advanced fat transfer and removal techniques to sculpt and enhance your body’s contours.
Comprehensive solutions to address a range of body concerns, from stubborn fat to skin laxity.
Breasts
Tailored solutions for breast concerns, including size, shape, and symmetry.
Other Areas
Targeted solutions for stubborn areas of the body, tailored to your unique needs.
Volume & Contouring
Specialized treatments to enhance body volume and improve overall contour for a balanced silhouette.
Holistic care focused on improving overall health and well-being for a balanced lifestyle.
Digestive Health
Comprehensive care to support digestive health and improve overall well-being.
Energy & Immunity
Holistic approaches to boost energy levels and strengthen your immune system for optimal health.
General Health
Personalized strategies to maintain and enhance your overall health and vitality.
Expert care for a wide variety of skin and facial concerns, promoting a healthy, glowing complexion.
Ageing Signs
Expert treatments to minimize ageing signs, rejuvenating your skin for a youthful glow.
Skin Texture & Tone
Advanced treatments to improve skin texture and even out tone for a smoother, radiant complexion.
Specific Areas
Targeted treatments to address skin concerns in specific facial areas for balanced, refined results.
Volume & Contouring
Tailored solutions to restore facial volume and enhance natural contours for a more youthful appearance.
When a friend uses your referral code, they’ll get £50 off their first treatment, and you’ll get £50 off your next one.
The more friends you invite, the more you earn.
Retinol Before Microneedling: Risks & Best Practices
Can You Use Retinol Before Microneedling?
Are you using retinol as part of your skincare routine and deciding to have microneedling? If so, you have to stop using retinol for at least one week prior to your microneedling treatment because it can increase sensitivity and irritation to your skin.
So what happens if you use retinol before microneedling? We will discuss it in this article.
Retinol is a skincare ingredient derived from vitamin A and is commonly used for the skin to help fight acne and various signs of ageing that we normally have when we get older. If you are using retinol in your skincare routine, most likely your skin’s dullness and unevenness will come to disappearance. Rough patches will soon be smoothed out as it sheds dead skin cells over time. This is the reason why retinol users have a bright complexion that glows within. You may also notice that their skin is plumper and looks younger because it can enhance collagen production if used regularly.
The best part, retinol is easy to find in beauty stores or pharmacies and doesn’t need a prescription to buy one.
Retinol can do wonders for our skin. Individuals who have problematic skin use retinol because it can be purchased over the counter. A lot of users also prove that it has been effective in treating their skin issues. It can help treat various skin problems, such as:
Incorporating retinol into your skincare routine will make your skin look hydrated because it can remove dead skin cells that make you look dry and dull. It will replace the old skin with a new and healthy one. It also has antioxidant properties that fight against free radicals (the unstable molecules responsible for damaging the skin and accelerating ageing).
Microneedling (collagen induction therapy) is one of the best and most popular non-invasive skin rejuvenation techniques. Most people choose this treatment because it can provide them significant results that help change their lives and give them self confidence.
This treatment is done using a device with tiny needles, where controlled micro-injuries will be created in the top layer of your skin. Our body has a natural healing process and will begin to heal the created wounds. This will allow the repair of damaged cells and stimulate collagen production.
You may notice flaking and peeling of your skin a few days after microneedling. It means that your skin is now starting to heal, and that’s great news. Don’t skip a moisturiser that is gentle to your skin once you feel some dryness and itchiness on the treated area.
If you want significant changes to your look, you might want to consider microneedling treatment. You don’t need to undergo the knife or other invasive procedures to achieve good skin because having microneedling treatments can give your skin a lot of benefits.
You can enjoy these benefits if you follow your doctor’s pre- and post-treatment instructions. It will help you recover faster and prevent any risks associated with the treatment.
Why Using Retinol Before Microneedling is Discouraged
It is not advisable to use retinol before microneedling because retinol make your skin barrier thinner and it is more prone to adverse reactions and sensitivity. If your skin is in this condition, creating micro-injuries on your skin will make the sensitivity and irritation worse. You may still use retinol after, but you need to wait 5-7 days or until the redness or irritation subsides.
If you use retinol before your microneedling, chances are high that your skin will become irritated. It is because your skin condition is sensitive and thin; if injuries are inflicted on it, it may become severely damaged.
Negative effects are:
Your skin will have small pathways as a result of micro-injuries created by microneedling. These can make the skincare you apply go on a deeper level.
Retinol is a strong ingredient that can make your skin become irritated or feel like it’s burning. So it is best that you use some serums with calming effects or one that is gentle to your skin while you are in your process.
Effective & professional doctor-led Retinol Before Microneedling at our central London clinic
Verified Before & After
Verified Before & After
Ideal Timing for Retinol Application
Since microneedling can make your skin overly sensitive and easily irritated, most doctors will make a recommendation to stop using retinol before the procedure. Stopping about three to five days ahead of your session is a good rule of thumb. That short break will give your skin time to rebuild its barrier and your skin to calm down, and be ready for the treatment. After your treatment, you may go back to using retinol after 5 to 7 days or until your skin has fully recovered from microneedling.
If you still want to take care of your skin and apply skincare products before having microneedling, you may consider some safe alternative options. To keep your skin’s barrier strong, you have to use gentle cleansers and moisturisers. A serum with hyaluronic acid can really help plump things up, and if you want extra hydration and faster healing. Vitamin C serums are a solid choice if you want a brighter look and more collagen support. And the golden rule- never skip sunscreen. Use it before and after getting microneedling to protect your skin from the sun.
If you want to have bright and smooth skin, but you don’t want to undergo surgery, retinol and microneedling can be the answer. But here’s the catch, it is not good to use them at the same time because when you use retinol, your skin can become thinner and more sensitive. So if you add microneedling to that, there’s a possibility of developing bad reactions. You are also at risk of having scars because your skin can have severe irritation and may heal slowly.
After getting your microneedling, you should avoid direct sun exposure as you have sensitive skin afterward. Follow your doctor’s post-treatment care to heal faster and completely. A radiant skin, together with a youthful appearance, will eventually show in your face. Maintain it by reintroducing retinol and including it in your skincare regimen.
FAQs
It is not safe to use retinol prior to your microneedling because it can create an increase in sensitivity and adverse reactions. That’s why your doctor may recommend you to stop using retinol a week before your scheduled microneedling.
It is best to wait for at least 5 to 7 days before you go back in using retinol again. Others may need to wait longer time before their wound heals and the sensitivity go away.
There are risks associated when combining retinol with microneedling because of too much sensitivity and adverse reactions that individuals may experience. The risks may involve too much dryness and peeling, together with redness and a long time for wound healing.
You have to avoid retinols before getting a microneedling treatment to avoid skin irritation. If you still want to apply some skincare on your face, you may replace retinol with serums like hyaluronic acid; it’s gentle and will not irritate your skin.
Microneedling can give you good outcomes if it is done the right way. It has the ability to improve your skin’s texture and increase collagen production, which makes it the reason why your skin looks smoother and younger. If you have acne scars and darker skin tones, it will improve with microneedling.
Reserve a microneedling appointment
One of our experts will be more than happy to answer any questions you have.
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Ah Q
I had a positive experience with Dr Cumbo. This was for a review and procedure. There was close attention to detail provided
13th June 2026
Jaswinder Marwaha
Had an initial consultation, the staff put you at ease immediately and were very knowledgable. Would recommend to anyone that is thinking about going to a clinic.
16th June 2026
Melis Mackley
Love this clinic I practically live here
16th June 2026
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Need to reach us?Contact or visit our clinic.
We’re based in central London at the historic which is only a short 2 minute walk from Regents Park tube station a 10 minute taxi journey to Kings Cross, and St Pancras stations.
We’re open Monday – Friday 8am – 8pm, and Saturdays 9am – 5pm, feel free to drop in to talk to a member of our team where they can answer any of your questions.
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The Harley Street Skin Clinic is an award-winning boutique private cosmetic clinic in the heart of London. We offer the most advanced surgical and non surgical techniques in our fully-fitted consulting rooms, state-of-the-art operating theatres and purpose-built aesthetics and laser suite.
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