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Nail polish and pregnancy
Filed under: Your Pregnancy, Health & Safety: Babies, Mommy Musts
Recently a newly pregnant pal of mine took the day off from work to pamper herself. As a new mommy with little time for such things these days I heartily agreed she should get the time for herself in while she was able. She decided to get a manicure and pedicure to help her relax.
Up until recently, I'd always read not to get your nails done when you're pregnant. From what I understood there were toxins in the paint that could seep into the system through the nail. Yick. I can see the logic in that as nail polish is paint. The chemical in question is dibutyl phthalate. An article from the New York Times offers further discussion.
That said, I also read a report online somewhere (sigh, and I'll never find it again now...) that suggested it was ok to get your nails done. According to the article it was actually all the dust flying around in the salon from the fake nails being buffed, etc. that could cause distress in the way of coughing, etc., but should have no lasting effects. Also, the chance of infection was still the main cause for concern as most nail salons simply aren't as clean as they should be.
The past few months I've been reading about nail polish companies like Sally Hansen removing certain chemicals from their nail polish because said chemicals were linked in studies to birth defects.
I didn't have my nails done the entire time I was pregnant, just as a precaution. I am very much a "better safe than sorry" kind of person, though. Others would say that there are more important things to worry about during pregnancy and that getting your nails done should be a the bottom of the list.
Still, the most recent data is compelling. Of course, I got this info from a magazine--which is not to say that good information and advice can't come from magazines. Clearly that is not the case. I am just aware that magazines exist to push marketing and the products for which they carry advertisements are also often what the writers suggest we buy for whatever reason--because something is organic, for example, or because it no longer contains something bad like the chemicals in nail polish.
So what about you? Consider this a random poll. Did you paint your nails while you were pregnant?
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ReaderComments (Page 1 of 1)
7-11-2007 @ 8:34AM
Jenna said...If you're planning a hospital birth, no nail polish will serve you well when the put the oxygen sensor on your finger. While it can still detect oxygen "properly" with nail polish on your fingers, you're helping it along by not blocking the process in any way. Get your toenails painted instead. :)
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7-11-2007 @ 4:00PM
Nadine said...You know I am vain. I have done both: paint my nails and dye my hair while pregnant. I do them sparingly, but I can't give it up. There are some nail salons that don't use acrylics, nor nail polishes with toluene -- so I go to those. There's also a hair dye called Natura that's pretty gentle and has no ammonia if anyone is curious.
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7-11-2007 @ 2:59PM
Amy said...I got manicures, pedicures, and my hair colored too! My doctor said it was fine to do any of them. She also said I could paint the nursery and mow the lawn if I felt up to it.
I just have a hard time believing that any of that stuff is toxic enough to seep all the way through nails, skin, and hair and then make it to the placenta to reach the baby. Seems kind of far fetched.
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8-09-2007 @ 10:57AM
Jen said...I painted my nails in my third trimester... but used only polishes that were DBP-free. For what it's worth, OPI's new formula has removed this chemical. DBP has been linked to an increased risk of birth-defects.
I've written an article on the matter, that can be found here: http://www.ragingrouge.com/ragingrouge/2007/05/why_i_am_throwi.html
Enjoy!
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7-25-2007 @ 4:50PM
Jota said...Jen--thanks for the comment, and the link. I'll check it out!
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8-01-2007 @ 5:58PM
AnonymousMom said...I painted my fingernails and toenails during both of my pregnancies. I stash little "warnings" or "precautions" like this one in with never drinking a cup of coffee or enjoying a glass of wine with dinner while pregnant. They're just more ways to control women and scare them out of enjoying life, especially those first-time moms whose life as an autonomous, carefree human being is coming to an end. I'm all for being responsible, i.e-no getting totally drunk, and spending large amounts of time in salons around questionable chemicals. I think most folks can exercise common sense, right?
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