Is Tanning While Pregnant Safe

As the bronze look is becoming popular among men and women, many people are practicing the idea of tanning to achieve the sun kissed look. Tanning is a process where the skin is exposed to ultra violet rays which cause darkening of the skin pigmentation, thus giving the skin a tanned or bronzed look. Tanning can be achieved in a number of ways, among which is the oldest and the traditional way of tanning i.e., by exposing the skin to the sun. The other method which is becoming very popular is by using the tanning bed. There are various salons that provide tanning sessions to their customers where the person lies in a bed which emits UV rays, thus tanning the skin. Apart from these methods, another way of tanning one's skin is with the use of sun tanning topical creams and lotions.

Though tanning helps the person in looking great, there are some side effects attached to tanning. Skin experts have been against the idea of tanning under the sun or on the tanning bed because over exposure to the UV rays can cause very high damage to the skin, which can also give rise to skin cancer. Nevertheless, even though people know about the risks of tanning, they still continue to indulge in it. However, recently debates about whether a woman should indulge in tanning when she is pregnant has been on the rise. It is said that as tanning can be dangerous in normal circumstances, the risks can be actually higher for a pregnant woman. So, if you are pregnant and want to indulge in tanning, it is important for you to know the answer to the question, is tanning while pregnant safe.

Tanning During Pregnancy: Is It Safe?
The answer to this question can be very vague as there have been minimal studies about harmful effects of tanning on pregnant women. However, as too much exposure to UV rays are considered to be harmful, most experts think that there is a slight risk of damage to the fetus when indulged in tanning during pregnancy. One of the dangers of tanning while pregnant is that too much exposure to the sun can decrease the level of folic acid in the body. As folic acid is an important factor that enhances the neural tube development of the fetus, decrease in this may lead to the problem of spina bifida in the child.

Another reason due to which pregnant women are asked to avoid sun exposure as well as tanning beds is because this can increase their body temperature which can be harmful for the health of the unborn child. It has been observed that too much heat can cause spinal malformations in the child and sometimes may even cause miscarriage, especially when tanning is done in the first trimester of pregnancy. Hence, it will be a good idea to avoid tanning while trying to get pregnant as one is likely to risk the baby's health, if one is not aware of the pregnancy during the initial months. Another risk of sunless tanning while pregnant i.e. with the help of a tanning bed is that one has to lie on the back for a long time and this can restrict the blood flow to the heart and subsequently to the baby too which can have serious consequences.

Tanning While Pregnant: Safety Precautions
I am sure that by now you must have realized that tanning while pregnant is a risk and should be avoided. Moreover, most of the tanning salons do not allow women who are pregnant to get tanned as they do not want to be held responsible if the baby has some birth defects. Nevertheless, there are many women who are still keen on getting tanned during pregnancy. In such cases, they will have to get a written permission from their doctor, before they indulge in tanning. Also, it is extremely crucial to take some precautionary measures by pregnant women. If you have decided to go for tanning in the sun or in the tanning bed, do not forget to apply sunscreen lotion that has high SPF factor in the areas which is exposed to the sun. You must also avoid getting over heated and hence, should not stay under the UV rays for more than 10 minutes. Other than this, also prevent getting out in the sun during noon time when the sun is the hottest. It is also important to drink lots of water when one is getting tanned.

So, the answer to the question can you go tanning while pregnant is actually yes, only if you take the permission from your physician and see to it that you take all the necessary precautions. However, you must understand that though not proven, tanning can give rise to developmental problems in your child and hence, the best thing would be to avoid the tanning process during the nine months of pregnancy. Nevertheless, if you are still keen on doing so, you can use sunless tanning lotions and creams for this purpose. It is said that this method of self tanning while pregnant is the safest as it is applied topically on the skin. However, according to physicians and mid wives, one should avoid using these method during the first trimester of pregnancy as it is considered to be the most sensitive time of pregnancy.