Tips to avoid sunburn during pregnancy

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Although sunlight provides much needed vitamin D, too much is not good for anyone. And if you're pregnant, the risk goes up. Besides the risk of skin cancer, pregnant women may have a number of other risks from too much sunbathing. These risks include sunburn during pregnancy, easier exposure to dehydration, and depletion of folic acid stores.

1. Dangers of sunbathing

When you are pregnant, hormone levels increase in the body's circulation causing your skin to become more sensitive and prone to sunburn in the sun. In fact, your pigment-producing cells are overactive, making your skin more susceptible to darkening when exposed to the sun's UV rays.
Instead of sunburn, you may experience lots of freckles or even melasma, which are gray-brown patches commonly found on the cheeks. At the same time, pregnancy changes the immune system and this can increase your risk of developing skin cancer again during pregnancy if you don't take precautions.
Sunbathing can also dehydrate the body, making you more susceptible to sunburn during pregnancy, dehydration, and overheating. This lack of water can then cause excessive stress, which in turn can lead to uterine contractions before delivery. Furthermore, when your body is overheated, an elevated body temperature can be a risk factor for birth defects.
And finally, the sun's UV rays can destroy folic acid in the body, increasing the risk of birth defects. The risk of folic acid deficiency affecting the baby's neurological development especially during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy.

2. Protect skin when sunbathing

Despite these risks, many pregnant women cannot avoid sun exposure. However, you should not despair you must be exposed to the sun regularly. As long as you protect your skin properly, everything will be fine. Even if you only have an hour outdoors, you still need to protect your skin. Here are some suggestions for ways to protect you and your unborn baby from overexposure to the sun.
2.1. According to the Environmental Working Group, a non-profit organization that evaluates the effectiveness of sunscreens, you should use sunscreen as a daily product to protect your skin. Along with that, you need to cover your body such as wearing a hat, wearing sunglasses and wearing light clothing to protect your skin from the sun's rays. Then, apply sunscreen as a last line of defense.
2.2. Bring plenty of water You can keep your body cooler and prevent overheating by drinking plenty of water. Drinking plenty of water will help keep your body cool and keep you hydrated. You need to be careful not to let your body temperature rise too high. And the best way to cool down if you're going out is to drink plenty of water. You can also bring a battery-powered fan to keep you cooler, especially if the weather is particularly hot.

2.3. Avoid the sun during peak hours If possible, try to stay out of the sun between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., as this is when the sun's rays are strongest. Note that the sun's rays are very dangerous, especially for the health of pregnant women. If you find you must be in the sun, find some shade for yourself and your unborn baby with a large, oversized umbrella.
2.4. Choose Sunscreen Wisely The effects of the sun's UV rays on the body's skin have been well documented. In addition to potentially causing skin cancer, these UV rays can also cause dark spots and premature aging. Therefore, sunscreen is often the best choice to help block these harmful rays. However, how safe are these sunscreens for pregnant women?
Typically, sunscreen blocks UV rays by including one of three ingredients - oxybenzone, zinc oxide, or titanium dioxide. Of these 3 ingredients, oxybenzone is the ingredient that pregnant women want to avoid. Unlike zinc oxide and titanium dioxide, which are on top of the skin, oxybenzone is absorbed into the skin and is often used to help other chemicals absorb into the skin, which eventually enter the bloodstream.
Dangers of Oxybenzone
According to the Environmental Working Group, many sunscreens, lotions, lip balms and lipsticks contain a dangerous chemical called oxybenzone. Even some hair oils and perfumes contain oxybenzone. Oxybenzone has not only been implicated in allergies but is also known to cause cell damage and hormone disruption. However, it is common in a number of skin care products including sunscreens.
In fact, the Centers for Disease Control did a study in which they found traces of oxybenzone in 97% of the participants. Furthermore, women and girls have the highest concentrations probably because they use skin care products more often than men and boys. Therefore, you want to avoid any product that contains oxybenzone, especially while pregnant. Here are some tips for choosing sunscreen during pregnancy.

2.5. Read the information on the packaging carefully As mentioned earlier, you want to make sure your sunscreen doesn't list oxybenzone on the back. This chemical, which is easily absorbed into your skin, has been linked to low birth weight in babies. It is also a risk factor for coronary heart disease, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and other diseases. Oxybenzone is also known to interfere with the body's hormones, which in turn can cause developmental problems in the unborn baby.

3. How your baby develops during pregnancy

3.1. Choose Lotions over Sprays The International Agency for Research on Carcinogens has shown that titanium dioxide is a possible carcinogen when inhaled in high doses. For this reason, the Environmental Working Group recommends that pregnant women (and all others) avoid the spray. Moreover, the spray form makes it easy for people to miss a spot or apply too little sunscreen.

3.2. Understanding the SPF label You can let a super high SPF give you a false sense of security. For example, SPF 30 blocks 97% of the sun's rays and SPF 50 blocks 98%. So don't think that just applying SPF 100 will give you all-round protection. Regardless of the SPF you choose, you still need to reapply at least every two hours and more if you're in and out of water a lot.

4. You got sunburned, now what to do?

Just like choosing sunscreen, pregnant women must be careful about what they put on their skin to treat sunburn. For example, many products used to treat sunburn contain lidocaine, which is a local anesthetic that numbs and cools the skin. Unfortunately, it's best to avoid any product containing this ingredient while you're pregnant.
Of course, the best way to treat sunburn is to avoid getting burned. But mistakes do happen, and if you're dealing with a burn, hopefully you'll find some relief in the following suggestions.
4.1. Take a cool shower or shower Remember, your skin hurts because it's burned and overheated. Therefore, you may experience short-term relief by soaking in a cool tub or taking a cool shower. While it won't make the pain go away indefinitely, it will give you short-term relief.
4.2. Apply Aloe Vera Oil or pure aloe vera gel works great for sunburn. And, if you keep it in the fridge until you need it, it will help reduce the coolness. You may also want to consider buying an aloe vera plant and harvesting the slime directly from the plant. Not only is this plant ideal for treating sunburn, but it's also great for any type of burn or skin irritation.
4.3. Add something extra to your bath Some dermatologists recommend adding a small amount of apple cider vinegar to a tub of cool water. When added to cool water, the vinegar will act as an astringent, soothing your sunburn. Meanwhile, others recommend adding oatmeal to help soothe your burn.
4.4. Keep calm Remember that sunburn is usually only deep in the skin. So your unborn baby probably won't be affected by your burn. However, other aspects related to prolonged sun exposure can cause problems such as overheating or dehydration. Finally, it's rare to have a fever while recovering from a sunburn, but if you develop a fever of 100 or more, you should contact your doctor. Otherwise, give your skin a break to heal and avoid sun exposure until you've fully recovered.
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Reference source: verywellfamily.com