Nail polish while pregnant?

Does anyone know if I can wear nail polish while I'm pregnant?  I heard something about there being a chemical in the polish that can get absorbed into the nailbed that can be harmful for the baby.  I don't know the full scoop though.

[jgirl4356]

You are probably talking about phathalates, which can be very bad.

I found this CNN article that talks about phathalates being in (well, jsut about everything it seems) cosmetics (it isn't required to say "phathalate" anywhere on the package, if it does it might say DBP), however, it does say that nail polishes are fine, here is the link to the article (this particular article is 8 years old though:  http://archives.cnn.com/2000/HEALTH/women/11/29/nail.polish/index.html

Hi, I found this on Dr.Spock.com:
"Nail Polish, Acrylics, Wraps, etc. -- For many pregnant women, indulging in a manicure or pedicure every now and then is a great way to pamper themselves and lift their spirits. In addition, as your belly grows, it often gets increasingly difficult to trim your toenails (not to mention paint them), making a pedicure all the more useful. While there is no evidence of any true danger associated with getting a manicure or pedicure during pregnancy, the chemical fumes that sometimes go along with these treatments can make you feel ill. Try to make sure that you are in a relatively open area with sufficient ventilation, and that you are not exposed to the vapors for a long period of time."

It seems they don't really know if it is bad or not, though, women have been pregnant and painting there nails forever, you could try to find some phathalate fre nail polish, if that is possible, just google phathalates and nail polish and pregnancy.  I'm sure if you don't do it all of the time and not huff the fumes, you will be fine, but I'm not a doctor.

[beautifullychaotic]

I am in the beauty line...and I have been polishing my nails, acrylics, and wraps and all... along with everyone elses that comes to me..coloring hair and perming hair..when I was pregnant and on ladies that were pregnant....everything was fine....AS LONG AS THE ROOM IS VENTILATED! And if you start to get wooosy...then take a break..if it happens again. Then you might be able too. Good luck ...

[JoyRenee]

Anything you put on your skin, hair, nails is absorbed into your body and can pass through the placenta. I'm not a real big nail-painter so I didn't have issues with that. I did, however, dye my hair once.

Do what you think is best.

[martikadragoon]

I'm not sure JoyRenee is %100 correct. BUT there are only SOME things that can pass thru the placenta barrier, and nail polish and hair dye are not them.

The placenta filters out bad stuff so that the baby stays healthy. Thats why it's there. there are some diseases, and stuff that can pass thru, like Toxoplasmosis from kitty litter. But if you put lotions or polishes or hair dye on you will be fine and so will the baby!

Cindie