Tanning?

amystan · August 2014

I'm all for growing a happy, healthy baby for the next months but I feel like everywhere you turn there are things oregnant women can't do/eat/say. My summer tan has faded and I want to use a tanning bed to get a little color back on my face. Thoughts/ experiences with this? Is it really dangerous to baby or just an overreaction?

SuperFudge00 · August 2014

I wouldn't, I but also wouldn't tan non-pregnant. I would suggest you discuss this with your OB. I really don't have any facts without googling.

mamabernsteinbear15 · August 2014

Not sure the effects it will have on the baby but tanning in a tanning bed is never a safe/good idea!! You have such a higher risk of developing skin cancer!! Why do that to yourself?? Summer tans are meant to fade!!
#paleisthenewtan

lindsayanne14 · August 2014

No, not safe!

jelixster9 · August 2014

Spray tanning is fine. There are some places that use all organic sprays.

bowman958 · August 2014

Pregnant skin is extra sensitive, so you should avoid tanning (pregnant or not, honestly). Can you treat yourself to a fancy bronzer to get the glow back in your face?

70point3 · August 2014

I'm with #paleisthenewtan ... Why mess with it PG or non-PG?

trlricha · August 2014

I agree with all of the above posts, it isn't worth the risk. Buy yourself a nice bronzer or something. I used to love tanning beds when I was younger, but now I see that I clearly damaged my skin in places. Take care of yourself so you can always take care of your baby

jesswein9 · August 2014

No no no. Tanning beds are awful for non-pregnant women, why would you want to expose your child to that harm?

mrsmopar67 · August 2014

I wouldn't tan ever, especially not pregnant.

LRL131 · August 2014

I'm in team "no time is ever a good time" to tan. I used to use a tanning bed years ago before special events, but there's so much evidence out there that the tan is just not worth it. Other ladies advice about a spray tan is a good suggestion, if you really want that color. I personally just wouldn't mess with it.

leighwilliam · August 2014

Ok I'll be the oddball here. You're an adult and I'm sure you know the risks of a tanning bed, so no sense in lecturing. I also have used tanning beds in the past. Currently, I am not but that is just because I feel like I can still get what I need from the outside and have not put much thought on how I will feel come november. From what I have read, the dangers relating to the baby is the amount your temperature is rising. When in a tanning bed, it's obvious that your temp is going to rise. The risk to the baby is there. Again, while I have not been tanning recently, I have known people to tan while pregnant (not saying you should or shouldn't) and they always kept the fan on them directly and the bed half open so that the body temp did not rise. I would talk to your doctor and see what they say is harmful to the baby (again, I'm sure you are aware of the risks to yourself).

kristinbehler · August 2014

There is some evidence that the uv rays reduce folic acid which increases your risk of having a baby with spina bifida. That is all I will say on this without getting myself into trouble :-??

amystan · August 2014

Yikes! This is why I asked you ladies. Thanks for all the responses and just throwing it out there that yes I know tanning while not pregnant isn't the safest thing in the world but you know tr old saying, " look good, feel good." And it's really already fall where I live

Either way I'll try to find an organic fake tan lotion to rub on my cheeks

jmhansen11 · August 2014

I looked into this as well- and the exact risks with the bed are pretty unknown, but the major known risk is that you can easily get overheated (and not know it ) in the bed which is really bad for baby in first trimester.

I also thought about spray tan but there are chemicals in spray/creams that mess with your hormones and reproductive system! Check this article out:https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/06/12/dangers-of-spray-tan.aspx

If you can find a salon or a cream that is organic and sugar based you should be ok.

4N6s · August 2014

No!
I wouldn't even recommend it when you're not pregnant.

cmw223 · August 2014

Not good. Stick with a spray tan.

Mireille LeBlanc · August 2014

Tanning bad = Cancer in a box. Plus, you're gorgeous glow now will equal leathery skin when you're older. So my vote is to skip it.

ladylovely26 · August 2014

Mystic tan!!!

picklesx · August 2014

Using a tanning bed (or even allowing yourself to bake in the sun) is very unhealthy regardless of whether you're pregnant or not.

tdmloverrn · August 2014

I definitely wouldn't

jovencita1224 · August 2014

I would absolutely not tan while pregnant. I did the mystic tan (spray) while pregnant because I was in a wedding and my daughter is fine. Just don't inhale any spray!

I have to say though-tanning in the beds in general is a bad idea. I used to tan-and I never would burn-when I was in college and beyond. I even worked part-time in a tanning salon! I was so careful and I thought all of the skin cancer warnings were crazy. I had beautiful skin and looked years younger than my actual age. I met my husband when I was 30 and he was 24, and people thought I was the younger one!

Fast forward to the past year. I am in my mid-30s with two little girls and a baby on the way. In the past 8 months, I have had 5 pre-cancerous moles removed. One was called a spitz neuvi, which looks like melanoma under a microscope. They had to send it to UCLA for testing to see if it was melanoma. They also had to remove the Margins around it and it created a nasty scar that won't go away. I have I go in for skin checks every 3 months for the next 2 years, and every 6 months after that. My lifetime risk for skin cancer has increased exponentially. Every skin check I have had so far reveals new pre-cancerous moles that they remove. Waiting for the results of the biopsy is so horrible. I can never enjoy sunbathing again-it's too risky. Oh-and my skin has definitely lost some of it's youthful glow. I used to have pores that were non-existent, but the loss in elasticity has made the pores on my face much more prominent and noticeable. I feel so ugly and makeup doesn't help at all.

I never thought it could happen to someone so young-and I never thought it could happen to me. I know I'm an internet stranger-but if I could go back and stop myself from tanning when I was younger, I totally would. I hope that my experience would make at least one person out there stop tanning immediately. I am so afraid that something that I could have prevented could leave my young children without a mom in the future. And that is a horrible feeling. Don't tan.

citymama2012 · August 2014

Just use some bronzer.

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