Tanning during pregnancy. Don't risk burning your belly. What about sunscreen or tanning beds?
Pregnancy in the summer season of heat and abundant sunlight is already a huge burden on a woman's body. Swollen legs, excessive sweating or nausea due to dehydration are only a fraction of the difficulties that accompany pregnancy in the summer months and can easily complicate a long-planned holiday by the sea. Sunbathing is an integral part of staying by the sea, which requires especially great care during pregnancy.
Author:Sarah Johnson
Updated: 04.12.2023
What should you watch out for when tanning during pregnancy? What precautions does this popular summer activity require? What about alternative methods of tanning? How about a solarium or self-tanning cream? We will discuss this in the following paragraphs of our article.
Tanning during pregnancy - yes or no?
While free time in the sun, for example while moving from one place to another or as part of a walk around the neighborhood, is harmless, targeted tanning, also known as so-called grilling in the sun is risky for pregnant women. It is, of course, responsible for UV radiation, to which no human body should be exposed for longer than necessary.
By necessary we mean the time during which the human body absorbs UV radiation and subsequently creates the necessary vitamin D under its influence. Sunbathing during pregnancy is therefore acceptable only in a non-targeted and short-term way, because in the long-term there are many risks for both the pregnant woman and the developing fetus.
Exposure to an excessive amount of sunlight affects the sensitive skin of a pregnant woman, which leads to the appearance of pigment spots, which are already formed as a result of hormonal changes in the woman's body during pregnancy.
The areas of the face and abdomen are particularly susceptible, and this hyperpigmentation of the skin would be even more accentuated due to tanning. However, a significant problem is that after giving birth, a woman does not get rid of these newly formed pigment spots easily. The sensitivity of the skin is manifested after intense sunbathing during pregnancy by burnt areas of the skin, which can significantly complicate the next few days for a pregnant woman.
If a pregnant woman stays in the sun longer than recommended, she may risk overheating, which directly affects the already unpleasant swelling of the feet or other parts of the body, while this condition of the human body clearly does not benefit the proper development of the baby.
For the proper development of the baby, a certain level of folic acid is also necessary, which, especially in the first trimester, takes care of the correct cell division and thus the formation of germinal tissues, but the reduction of its optimal level is caused by UV radiation in the body of a pregnant woman.
Sunscreen during pregnancy
The most important aspect of sunbathing during pregnancy is thorough skin protection, while the accelerated process of dehydration during pregnancy should not be forgotten. Pregnant women should prefer shady locations, but if the sun cannot be avoided, they should definitely take care to cover their abdomen and head sufficiently.
It is advisable to protect the abdomen with light clothing that is adequately ventilated, i.e. especially loose dresses and loose-fitting t-shirts. Tanning of the abdomen during pregnancy is not recommended, and therefore it is advisable to protect the abdomen with a damp towel during direct exposure to the sun. It is also necessary to protect the head, with any head covering. This will prevent heatstroke and unwanted overheating of the body.
Of course, pregnant women should not move outside when the hottest part of the day occurs. It usually lasts between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. At this time, expectant women should wake up earlier inside.
From the point of view of compliance with the drinking regime, which helps in the fight against dehydration, you should take liquids mainly in the form of pure water, or water flavored with some kind of fresh fruit. The recommended amount of liquids to be taken daily ranges from 2.5 to 3 liters.
It should be remembered that an iced drink does not guarantee cooling of the body. It affects the body with the exact opposite principle. Although the chilled drink primarily takes care of cooling, it also provides a proper temperature shock for the body, which leads to a natural reaction of the human body in the form of internal heating.
The right cosmetics also play a big role, or sunscreen, which a pregnant woman uses in the summer months. Sunscreens with a high protection factor, which is SPF 50+, should definitely be chosen. A lower factor of SPF30 is also suitable, but for understandable reasons a higher protection factor is recommended.
It does not matter how often and how much sunscreen a woman applies to her body during pregnancy. If you don't cover your skin 100 percent, it reduces the effect of the protective factor, which means that you risk getting sunburned during pregnancy, despite the coverage. For example, a sunscreen with a factor of 50 works as well as a cream with a factor of 20 or 30 for inadequate skin coverage.
A very important piece of information when sunbathing during pregnancy is the recommended time spent in direct sunlight. It can vary depending on the sensitivity of the skin, its type and the amount of UV radiation affecting the pregnant woman's body. The average length of time, which is acceptable for the extremely strained body of a pregnant woman, is roughly 20 minutes.
Solarium during pregnancy is excluded
It is true that currently there are still no professional studies that would confirm or refute the negative impact of tanning beds on pregnant women, but the lack of such information should discourage future mothers from this procedure in order to achieve beautifully bronzed skin. This is still a new and insufficiently researched method of artificial tanning, which means that exposing a developing fetus to such radiation is unnecessarily risky.
Self-tanning cream during pregnancy
Self-tanning creams, which can also ensure that a woman has beautifully bronzed skin during pregnancy, without unnecessarily exposing herself to the risk of tanning her belly during pregnancy, are becoming more and more popular. When used correctly, they even cover the entire body with a bronze color, which may not always be possible when sunbathing in direct sunlight.
Self-tanning creams are generally not considered harmful to the baby, but it is necessary to carefully monitor the composition of individual creams. Pregnant women should especially prefer those on a natural basis.
It is also important to observe at the first use whether there will be any effects indicating an allergic reaction to the cream used. Especially for this reason, it is recommended to first test the cream on the forearm and only after verifying its effect on the skin, to cover the whole body with it.
Tanning during pregnancy - experience
For understandable reasons, there are conflicting opinions on tanning during pregnancy, but women in the discussion forums agreed on one thing, namely that you should sunbathe in moderation. Of course, it is also necessary to follow the individual principles that we mentioned earlier in the article, but tanning as such largely depends on the type of skin a pregnant woman has.
While some can't stand the heat in the sun for even a minute, others sunbathe for a few tens of minutes, thus recharging not only their vitamin D level, but also their energy. However, most of the discussants highlighted the fact that it is better to cover the abdomen with a towel or other material when sunbathing, which will prevent the direct impact of UV radiation on the fetus.
They also noted that sunbathing is harmful to the baby's development only if the mother overdoes it with the time spent in direct sunlight. Ultimately, it's up to you how you decide, but it's important to stick to the rule that everything should be done in moderation.
The most frequent questions - FAQ
Do you still have any comments or questions that were not answered in our article on tanning during pregnancy, or in the question and answer section? Do not hesitate to write them down in the comments section. We try to answer them in the shortest possible time.
In what position can I sunbathe in an advanced stage of pregnancy?
Can I be allergic to the sun during pregnancy?
Should I be exposed to direct sunlight during pregnancy if I want to obtain a sufficient amount of vitamin D?
Do I have to apply sunscreen every time I go out in the sun?
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