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 should give expecting moms second thoughts about using tanning beds.

Ultraviolet radiation cannot change your core body temperature without first burning the skin. The amount of radiation needed to significantly raise your core temperature would cause unbearable pain. As a result, significant and sustained increases in core body temperature would not be expected with commercial tanning equipment.

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