Pampering and Pregnancy. What's safe?

Question #5, May 2006

Q) Dear Dr. Gwenn:

Can I pamper myself while I'm pregnant? Get my hair colored or nails done?

-asked by many pregnant women at the American Baby Faire, March 25, 2006, Bayside Expo Center, Boston, MA.

A) The short answer: absolutely! You go girl!

The complete explanation:

Hair, nails, clothes – why not look your best when you are pregnant! You will certainly have moments of not feeling your best with the ups and downs of hormones, the fatigue and a few of the less desirable symptoms of pregnancy. But that doesn’t mean you can’t look your best if that is important to you.

Whenever chemicals are involved there is always a certain haze of concern over safety, particularly when a pregnancy is concerned. The beauty industry has come a long way in ensuring the safety of products on the market to people and animals and current products are thought to be “safe”, despite the fact that definitive studies have not been done with pregnant women, and will never be.

Today,  most OB/GYN doctors and salon stylists feel the products on the market are safe and can be used without hesitation. You may want to avoid products with strong smells during the first trimester as strong odors can intensify the nausea of pregnancy. A well ventilated room usually does the trick.  

Another consideration is that hair does change during pregnancy and many women end up not finding they need as much artificial color. Many stylists advocate waiting until second trimester to allow hair to adjust. Talk it over with your sylist to figure out what is best for you and your hair but rest assured what ever you decided to do is safe – so enjoy the pampering!

Chemicals are not absorbed through the nails so there are really no safety issues with manicures and pedicures, except for the same fume issue in first trimester. Again, a well ventilated room should help minimize the impact of the smell on your body.

Massages are another pampering modality very safe during pregnancy.  You can likely find a number of salons in your area that offer pregnancy massages.

The only real health and beauty areas to avoid are the ones that would cause you to overheat: working out on very hot days, hot tubs and saunas. Increasing your body temperature while pregnant could cause birth defects.

In addition to talking to your OB/GYN, here are some web resources for more information on the typical exposures pregnant women face, including painting the nursery and dental visits:

http://health.discovery.com/centers/pregnancy/americanbaby/pregsafety.html

www.drspock.com/article/0,1510,23484,00.html

So, go pamper yourself as you prepare for one of the most life-altering experiences you will ever have: the birth of a child.  The best way to care for your baby is to care for yourself – before and after your baby is born!

(Image source: Iparenting.com)

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