Are tanning beds safe to use during pregnancy?
There are three issues involved in considering the use of tanning beds during pregnancy. First, there is substantial medical concern about the safety of tanning beds for anyone since the ultraviolet radiation damages the skin and thereby accelerates the aging process and substantially increases the risk of skin cancer. Second, ultraviolet radiation does not pose any threat to the developing baby itself. (Newborns are very sensitive to sun, however.) Finally, the increased estrogen production of pregnancy is known to stimulate melanocytes, or pigment cells. Without a special effort to get tan, some pregnant women complain of brown blotchiness on the face known by the medical term “Chloasma.” Some also complain of a prominent black line extending down the middle of the abdomen. (The medical term for this is “linea nigra,” meaning “black line” in Latin.) Since these dark patches fade but do not always go away entirely, the increased sensitivity to ultraviolet radiation during pregnancy sh
