Spray Tanning While Pregnant

Pregnancy is a beautiful time in a woman’s life where her body is changing and she’s preparing for a brand new chapter with her own mini me. During these nine months, some pregnant women may want to treat themselves to a sunless glow while they get used to a growing belly and having to deal with their newfound swollen ankles. Pregnancy is also a time where women are more cautious about the things they put on and in their bodies to protect the health of the baby. It’s not uncommon to be asked, “is it safe to get a spray tan while pregnant?” In these instances, we always want to provide the best information to our clients so that they can make an informed decision for themselves and their baby.

Is It Safe?

As a spray tan artist, we know that the main ingredient in the sunless solutions that we use is dihydroxyacetone (DHA). This ingredient creates a chemical reaction on the surface of the skin to create a tan-like appearance. However, pregnant clients may wonder, is this ingredient safe to apply to the skin during pregnancy? A 2004 research review reported that, “little of the DHA that penetrates into skin is actually available to become systemically absorbed.” Which means, the majority of the DHA that is applied to the skin, only stays on the surface and then is sloughed off as the skin sheds, which is why we typically see our sunless tans only last for about 7-10 days. Additionally, if you’re using high quality sunless solutions, the other ingredients involved in making the solutions are usually naturally derived and beneficial to the health of the skin because they apply extra moisture and hydration. The DHA we use when creating our X-TAN solutions is made from a 100% natural cosmetic ingredient, based on renewable plant sources and is ECOCERTand COSMOS approved. 

Precaution 

Overall, spray tanning is seen to be a safe beauty service for pregnant clients, but there are additional safety precautions that can be put in place so that your clients are protected through the process. For all clients, particularly those that are pregnant, all mucous membranes should be covered. Having disposables on deck in your sunless kit is a must for this! You should offer your clients eye protection, nose plugs, chapstick to protect the lips and disposable thongs. These disposables help keep any of the sunless solution from being inhaled during the service. To be especially cautious, if clients are worried about spray tanning while pregnant, they may feel more comfortable foregoing the service during the first trimester. As the service provider, it is also always appropriate to tell a client that they should seek the advice of their doctor prior to booking their appointment if they do have concerns. 

It’s also important to remember that when we compare sunless tanning to UV tanning, the damage done to the skin and body when laying out in the sun is a huge risk factor for all people, including those who are pregnant. Sunless tanning can be the optimal way to go about getting a boost of confidence from a fresh glow without the risks of sun damage.

Are you wanting to learn all things sunless science and technique? Maybe you just want to step up your skill level and elevate your business! At Spray Tan Class, we offer a variety of course options to help guide you through the steps to being the spray tan artist and business owner of your dreams. You can explore all the details of our course options and register for in-person or online access on our Spray Tan Class website!

Xoxo,

Kelly