Tanning Bed

What is your take on going to the tanning bed while pregnate.  We are going on vacation in a couple of weeks and I hate the idea of a sun burn.  I am not talking about tons of trips to the tanning bed the entire time I am pregante, just 3 or 4 to get some type of base to keep from buring so bad and haveing a bad vacation.

Thanks!

Kim

Here is the direct wording from my pregnancy paperwork from the doctor:

"Tanning: Perinatologists (Maternal - Fetal Specialists) have informed us there is no significant findings of harm to partake in tanning. It is to be under your discretion and comfort level that you may perform this activity. But because of the risk of increasing your body temperature, it is encouraged here that you discontinue your tanning."

Seriously... I would suggest doing some research... but NO its not really good for you... and definately not good for your BABY.

Tanning beds can be the source of many risk factors for pregnant women. Of course, any dermatologist would tell you to stay away from tanning beds in the first place. They have the same, if not more, harmful UVA and UVB rays as the sun does. An increasing amount younger boys and girls are getting skin cancer because they do not know (or simply ignore) all of the risks of using a tanning bed.

So, of course there is a concern for expecting moms when it comes to tanning beds. Now it is not just your dermatologist that will warn you to stay away from those tanning beds. Your gynecologist and obstetrician will warn you when you are pregnant as well. If you are expecting and are exposed to tanning beds you are exposing yourself and your unborn baby to excessive heat for a period of time. That is dangerous. You have probably heard that you should not take hot baths when you are pregnant. Laying in a tanning bed is the same thing, if not worse. This exposure to the heat of a tanning bed will raise your body's overall temperature, which is not good for your growing baby.

It can cause overheating, hyperthermia, deplete the folic acid in your body that is vital for your growing baby, and even add risk factors for your baby.

If you tan while you are pregnant you could be setting your baby up to have spinal malformation, neural tube defects, spinal bifida, and more.

While you are pregnant you are also more vulnerable to getting sunburns, whi*****reases your chance of getting skin cancer. It can also cause your skin to get yellowish, brownish spots or pigments on your skin. You are also risking getting sun stroke from a tanning bed while you are pregnant.

Some cities/states prohibit tanning salons from allowing pregnant women to tan. Your body temp can be raised, and your skin is much more sensitive and likely to burn while you are pregnant. Get some sunscreen and have fun on vacation.

No way would I ever tan while pregnant!   Use sunblock to prevent sunburns!

I whole heartedly agree with the previous posters and would not recommend you go to the tanning bed while pregnant.

I found this online:
 The good news is that the ingredients in self-tanners are harmless, so it's fine to use them during pregnancy. These lotions and sprays are basically dyes that stay on the surface of your skin and won't harm your developing baby. Best of all, self-tanners have improved dramatically over the past few years, so you don't have to worry about looking like an extra from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.

Tanning beds are a different story. There's no conclusive evidence that they're harmful to a developing fetus, but there's plenty of proof that they're dangerous to you.

Tanning beds pose the same dangers as the sun: They emit ultraviolet (UV) radiation, which causes skin cancer. Don't believe anyone who tells you that because tanning booths emit only UVA rays, they're not hazardous to your health. One study suggests that visiting a tanning booth ten times in a year can double your chances of developing melanoma — one of the most deadly types of cancer. Melanoma is the only type of cancer that spreads to the placenta, which could be disastrous for both you and your baby.

Lying in a tanning bed can also raise your body temperature to a level that may be hazardous to your baby, particularly during your first trimester. Having an elevated body temperature during pregnancy — that is, above 102 degrees F, which can happen in a tanning bed, hot tub, or sauna — has been associated with spinal malformations in developing babies.

And then there's the concern that lying on your back too long could restrict blood flow to your heart and thus to your baby as well. (If this happens, you'll feel lightheaded.)

Finally, yet one more downside to tanning: Pregnant women with sensitive skin who expose themselves to UV rays — whether from tanning beds or the sun — may be more prone to chloasma, those dark splotches that can appear on the face and occasionally the arms during pregnancy.

We have Palm Beach Tan clubs here and they were like "yeah, it's fine to tan while pregnant .." BUT having the option to Mystic tan as well I probably would've gone that route instead.

I mean, Docs warn against too hot of a bath or shower because of the rise in body temp.; wouldn't the same apply for a tanning bed?

I get what you're saying but that's (personally) not a risk i'd be willing to take.

Have a great vacation!

Getting a tan before going out in the sun doesn't do anything to protect you from further damage. Get a spray tan and wear some sunscreen. I am as white as white gets and I spent a week in Hawaii without once getting burned.

Tanning beds are safe for use during pregnancy. I tanned with my first one (my OB said it was fine) up until my belly started getting a little too close to the glass for my own comfort. As long as you aren't raising your actual body temperature (like you would in a steam room, hot tub, sauna, super hot bath, etc) then you're fine. Most normal tanning beds aren't capable of raising your body temp. They might make you sweat like you're standing outside in the middle of July, but they don't actually increase your body temp.... neither does standing outside in the middle of July.

Now, tanning beds in general aren't a wise idea, but it's your choice. Both of my OBs have said it's fine. I don't do it, but I think that tanning beds have been around long enough that some sort of solid conclusive evidence would have been produced if it caused damage to the unborn child. OBs everywhere would know about it and tell pregnant women not to do it.

Surely you can find something here rather than risk possible complications with your pregnancy and baby.

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