Once you've battled the excitement and nausea of those first few weeks of pregnancy, one of the many questions you might need answers to is "Can I use fake tan while I'm pregnant?". There's a wealth of advice available regarding spray tanning while pregnant - and we'd always recommend following that of the NHS or other reputable healthcare providers.

As the NHS notes on their website regarding spray tanning while pregnant, it is widely considered as safe to use fake tan creams and lotions during pregnancy. However, it's advised to avoid spray tans due to the fact the effects of inhaling the self-tanning spray are unknown. Essentially, the risk outweighs the reward.

In fake tan, the active ingredient is dihydroxyacetone (DHA). This is completely non-toxic and, when applied to the skin within a self-tan lotion, it reacts with the cells on the outer layer of the skin to provide a brown pigment, which is called melanoidin. This is what gives you a lovely sun-kissed glow.

It isn't believed by scientists that DHA can be absorbed beyond the outer layer of our skin into the body itself. Therefore, when applied as a lotion or cream, where the risk of inhaling it is minimal, it isn't thought to be able to cause any harm to your baby. The main cause for concern is to do with how the body would react when inhaling DHA, as this would be where the active ingredient has gone beyond the outer layer of the skin.

There are no known risks to your baby when using self-tan lotions or fake tan creams during pregnancy. However, if you've never used them before, there's a risk of an allergic reaction. As such, it's always recommended that you do a patch test before applying any self-tan.

Even if you've used a natural tanning solution before, it's always worth repeating a patch test during pregnancy as the changes in your hormone levels can make your skin become more sensitive than normal, and therefore create the risk of a reaction. In pregnancy, you can't treat allergic reactions in the same way as normal, so it's always worth being safe and cautious, testing the product on a smaller area of skin first to check for a reaction.

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