Did You Tan (Fake Bake) While Pregnant?

Updated on May 11, 2011
J.B. asks from Marrero, LA
29 answers

I have never tanned much as I am pretty fair and I hate being in those things. I am thinking about it now bc it is hot!! I am 13wks along and I don't want to wear shorts due to my very white and veiny legs. I know that the veins will still show if I am darker, but it doesn't look AS bad. I was thinking of spray tan but you can't go in the pool when you have that, so I don't know. But I also don't know if I can stand being so hot like you get in this things and having UV light near my unborn child just seems like a bad idea the more I think on it! Anybody do it, what were the results?

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So What Happened?

I guess I showed my lack of knowledge about the whole fake bake phenomenon! I have never really done it, well once, but I hated it. But yeah, since I cant' even take a hot shower these days...I guess a scalding tanning booth with intense uv rays is probaby a bad idea!!

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C.M.

answers from Myrtle Beach on

When i found out I was pregnant, my tanning salon wouldn't let me use the beds... Guess that would be a big no!!

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S.F.

answers from Utica on

Getting into a tanning bed while you are pregnant has the same effect as getting into a sauna while you are pregnant and a sauna is a big NO NO.
So I would suggest that you dont get into a tanning bed for the next 6 -7 months.
Good Luck

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C.T.

answers from Houston on

I was pregnant last summer and believe me I was going to do anything which kept me cool. I spent my whole summer in shorts, dresses and swimsuits. I cannot live on the weekends without being cool in the water.

The only thing I do not do when I am pregnant is layout. I do not think it is safe having the sun beat down on my belly.

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B.B.

answers from San Antonio on

I used to work in a tanning salon and we had releases that people had to fill out if they were tanning while pregnant. It's not good due to your core body temp getting too high. Seriously, don't do it.

5 moms found this helpful
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S.G.

answers from Norfolk on

Please don't do it! Tanning beds are horrible for your skin. Maybe a self-tanning cream? Or just come to grips with the white, veiny leg look. Believe me, people will cut you some slack on your appearance when you're pregnant.

4 moms found this helpful

L.S.

answers from Los Angeles on

They still have those cancer coffins?? ;)

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M.R.

answers from Chicago on

Absolutely not. The thought never entered my mind.

Just skip it - no one will focus on your white, veiny legs when you've got a beautiful pregnant bump to look at instead! (I mean zero disrespect, by the way)

3 moms found this helpful

C.O.

answers from Washington DC on

NOT ONLY NO BUT HELL NO!!!!

A tanning bed for a baby is like a microwave!!! Talk to your OB/GYN and find out their take on this - but you are essentially "baking" your fetus while you tan....

Just like taking a hot bath is bad for the baby while you are pregnant - YOU can cool off - but the baby can't....it's not the old wives tale about the water getting up in your vagina and drowning the baby (REALLY OLD!!! Myth) however, your baby only has YOU to protect it from things....a tanning bed would be bad, bad, bad in MY OPINION!!

3 moms found this helpful

T.S.

answers from San Francisco on

I use the self tanning lotion just on my legs for the very same reason and it works great! Just apply lightly and evenly after showering and wash your hands immediately. It will have soaked in after about an hour so you should be fine to get in the pool.
And I suggest NEVER getting into a tanning bed, pregnant or not, the risk of skin cancer is so, SO high! So not worth it.

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J.C.

answers from Anchorage on

No, you should not tan while prego, just like you should limit hot baths and time in hot tubs. Just get that lotion that gradually darkens your legs, it works pretty well.

On a side note, tanning is really never a good idea, it causes skin cancer.

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I.G.

answers from Seattle on

Well, you have already gotten a lot of great advice.

Let me add not only should you stay away from tanning beds, you should also take extra care to protect your skin from the sun.
During pregnancy our melanin production is all out of whack and unless you love the look of mask of pregnancy (Melasma - google it), I would say rather invest in some good sunblock and a hat.

Good luck.

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K.M.

answers from Chicago on

No self respecting tanning salon that I know of will allow you to do that. Your only bet is airbrush, and I am sure there are waterproof ones.

Updated

No self respecting tanning salon that I know of will allow you to do that. Your only bet is airbrush, and I am sure there are waterproof ones.

2 moms found this helpful
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E.W.

answers from New York on

I have not fake baked in at least 5 years. I wouldn't do it while i am pregnant or not. They are horrible for you.
Why don't you use the Jergens tinting lotion. Its a gradual tan and then you can show your legs.

1 mom found this helpful

J.S.

answers from Hartford on

The tanners in the tanning salons are far more dangerous than just getting some measured time in the natural sun. Put some sunscreen on and enjoy being outside. It's the "in" thing not to be all sun baked anyway. It's very bad for your skin and exponentially increases your risks for all types of skin cancers, freckles, moles, melanomas, and sun spots.

But if the risk to yourself doesn't bother you, then at least refrain until after your baby is born and you're not breastfeeding. Talk to your OB.

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R.L.

answers from Roanoke on

There is NO way I would do that! I'd hard-boil my baby!!

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K.P.

answers from New York on

No- it's not healthy for YOU to be in a tanning bed, so why would you expose your child to it? Beyond that, I recall my doctor warning me about elevating my body temperature for extended periods of time and the potential damage.

It's generally not recommended that you start anything "new" while you are pregnant b/c you don't know how your body will react to it.

My suggestion is to buy longer shorts and not worry about it. By the time the summer really "hits" you're going to be more worried about finding shorts that fit than whether or not your legs are too white to wear them!

1 mom found this helpful

D.G.

answers from Lincoln on

Nope - my tanning sessions were on a hold when I found out I was pregnant so I went to cancel and they were shocked "you mean you don't want to tan because you're pregnant?". Uh no I prefer not causing more problems in my pregnancy than absolutely necessary!

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P.B.

answers from Houston on

You don't want the stuff out of the bottle either - it's chemicals and your skin absorbs EVERYTHING it comes into contact with - good and bad. Do yourself and your baby what's best and forgo that unnecessity for this summer - who CARES that your legs are white? Only you - and get over it!!! :)

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A.S.

answers from Chicago on

you should try spray tanning! do it on a day when you have nothing to do, its not going to just come off in the pool! it really is great
OR try a few from the store...there alot of great products out there. i would NEVER ever bed tan while pregnant and I dont even think they would allow you too!

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A.H.

answers from Chicago on

No way I would never have gone to a tanning bed while pregnant.

Anyway I always used L'oreal's self-tan lotion. It works awesome for me and doesn't look streaky as long as you put it on evenly. It won't make you as tan as a lot of tanning bed sessions or a spray tan, but it will certainly take the ghostly white away. Plus it's just a tiniest bit sparkly. :)

C.M.

answers from Washington DC on

I would not go and do a fake n bake, but being out in the sun a little would be fine. Also I have never heard that you can't go in the pool with a spray tan. I used to do it all the time and never had a problem

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M.S.

answers from San Francisco on

Dangerous. Dont do it! Protect yourself and your baby----Putting chemicals on your body and then an extremely powerful light to burn/tan your skin is not a good idea.

M

B.C.

answers from Norfolk on

I was so hot when I was pregnant I couldn't stand being out in the sun (unless I was in a swimming pool). I was sweating hot the whole time and had the thermostat down near 65 degrees. My poor husband was cold all the time but he was great with helping my feet cool off (putting damp wash cloths from the fridge on me).
I was so excited to be pregnant I didn't think about tanning at all.

H.G.

answers from Dallas on

I did until about 16 wks. I was pregnant in the summer and getting out of the bed to the texas summertime made me wanta puke! My doc never said anything bout it harming the baby. Run it by your doc just to be sure

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J.K.

answers from Cleveland on

OMG no. Why don't you just go out and plant some flowers? That way your yard will look great AND you can catch that much needed sun that you want.

Congratulations on your pregnancy!

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J.M.

answers from Boston on

Definitely not. Too hot. Unsafe for your skin anyway.

A.G.

answers from Dallas on

I got some sun (naturally) while pregnant, and when I went to my OB, he gave me a huge lecture about how bad tanning beds are for pregnant women, and all people in general. I assured him that I had simply been outside a bunch that previous month, and he calmed down. I would not go to the tanning bed if I were you.

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E.M.

answers from Johnstown on

Please don't tan! I had a friend who literally cooked her internal organs from tanning bed use :'( Get a spray tan. Better yet, be happy being the way you are. You'll look much younger in 20 years than those who tan will in just 5.

J.J.

answers from Los Angeles on

Nevermind the fact that you are asking & paying for possible skin cancer... The beds are not as clean as you might think. They get hot, the sweat evaporates. So the girl cleaning it, will likely miss or skip on the cleaning. Even the spray to disinfect, quickly evaporates. GROSS. I used to work in a tanning salon. What is left in those beds. IS GROSS. My sister, an avid fake & baker, always had this skin fungus, looks all patchy & gross. Yuck.
Learn to love your skin. Or use a fake tanner, like the jergens or whatever. Exfoliate well, before you apply, repeat washing your hands- they often turn orange from the application, be careful aound knees, ankles, wrists.. and really rub it in as well as you can. Get the lightest color available to you, and gradually build it up. (personally I find all forms of fake tanning to carry a strange campy smell.)

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