Are tanning beds safe during pregnancy?

What does the evidence say about tanning beds during pregnancy?

1. Indoor tanning raises the risk of skin cancer, increases the chance of sunburn, and accelerates photoaging of the skin. 1
2. Melanoma risk roughly doubles in people who started using tanning beds before age 35, and a dose-response relationship exists between sunbed use and melanoma. 1
3. Several studies have reported a small chance of neural tube defects in babies of people who had fevers or hyperthermia before the 6th week of pregnancy, which is why raising core body temperature is the focus of early-pregnancy caution. 2
4. General pregnancy activity guidance is to avoid overheating your body, especially in the first trimester. 3
5. Less than 1 percent of the DHA in a self-tanning lotion is absorbed into the bloodstream in laboratory models, though DHA has not been approved for use in tanning booths and should be kept away from the eyes, nose and mouth. 4

Is tanning beds safe in each trimester?

• First trimester. These are the weeks when a raised body temperature matters most, because hyperthermia before about week six has been tied to a small increase in neural tube defects. That makes early pregnancy the worst window for a tanning bed.
• Second trimester. Pregnancy skin burns and pigments more readily, so UV sessions are more likely to leave you with melasma patches across the cheeks and forehead.
• Third trimester. There is no point in pregnancy where indoor tanning becomes a good idea. If you want color, a lotion or foam applied at home involves the least exposure.