Tanning and pregnancy
Pregnancy is the most crucial time period in the life of any women. It is the time period of taking the utmost set of precautions and care. Be the problem small or big, you should not be negligent and observe your body very carefully.
There exists a lot of bewilderment amongst pregnant women about the safety of the tanning process. There are numerous theories revolving around tanning and its effects on a pregnant women and the fetus. Just like a generic contention-over-exposure of anything is not good. The same holds true here. Over exposure to the UV rays can be harmful for both the mother and the baby.
Expecting moms have to be more cautious!
There are very few people who believe this, but there have been cases where expecting mothers were found to be suffering from hyperthermia and the spinal malformations. There have always been arguments on this effect produced by the sun, especially at the time of pregnancy.
But there is nothing to panic about. There are several ways by which you can save yourself from these side effects. The best and the easiest way to prevent your skin from the harmful impact of sun’s rays is by increasing the SPF of your sunscreen, whenever you step out of your house.
The SPF of the lotion that you intend to use should be at least 30. Besides this, you should also increase your water intake, if you are on regular tanning sessions. This prevents dehydration in body, while you are sweating out in the sun. Also wear a hat when sitting on a sun bathe. Just keep all these simple things in mind, and then you can enjoy both-tanning and pregnancy. But, despite all these precautions if you still feel dizzy, while sitting out in the sun, then you know what to do. You need to immediately consult a good physician and follow the advice.
What do the doctors say?
Most of the medical practitioners will advice you not to go for tanning sessions during pregnancy, as it may lead to disorders like, Melasma. Melasma is a condition in which there appears uneven complexion of your skin. This condition will be more apparent on the face area, where, the skin will turn dark or in shades of brown. If you do not take care of them, there are even chances of the effects becoming permanent.
Pregnancy and tanning- a no-no
It is advised that you should avoid tanning at the first trimester of your pregnancy. This is because, the baby is in its initial and crucial developmental stage at this point of time. The changes or the sufferings that your body will be having would be eventually passed on to the baby. And this negative effect generally occurs on the spine malformation of the fetus. Another area of debate in the ambit of tanning is the process of indoor tanning.
Doctors will generally advise you to refrain yourself from the use of indoor tanning products like, tanning beds, tanning lamps, saunas etc. The reason being that exposure to all these products lead to overheating of the body and thereby leading to dysfunctional ties in your body. It has been brought out that much usage of tanning beds lead to shortage of folic acid in the body. A decreased amount of folic acid in the body of an expecting mother can create colossal complications at the time of pregnancy.
You must understand that..
Once you are out of the initial trimester of your pregnancy, then you can have a comfortable tanning session of not more that 15 minutes a day. Self-tanners are the best devices through which you can tan yourself during pregnancy.
Understand. Every pregnancy is unique. Therefore it requires individual approach. So it is good that you should consult your doctor in case you feel any deviation in your body. An individual advice will help you have a beautiful pregnancy period.

