Patricia Krentcil is a woman who became famous for all the wrong reasons. Her obsession with tanning almost cost her her life. She used to visit the salon for tanning treatments five days a week and it took its toll.
She got obsesses with getting the right tan when she was young, but it wasn’t until 2012 that everyone learned about her. Patricia became an internet phenomenon after she stood trial for taking her daughter with her to the tanning salon.
“I’ve been tanning my whole life, going to the beach, tanning salons and so forth,” she once said.
Patricia claimed that she never took her daughter Anna with her to the salon and denied any accusations. “No not at all, not at all, not whatsoever,” she said when asked about the charges.
As per ABC, New Jersey law doesn’t permit children under the age of 14 to use tanning services. Children older than 14 can get tanning session with parental consent only.
So what made people believe Patricia took Anna to the salon? As it turned out, a school nurse asked Anna about the light burns on her body to which the girl replied: “I go tanning with mommy.”
Patricia on the other hand said her daughter got sunburns from playing outside in the sun.
“There’s not room… I would never permit it… It didn’t happen,” she said. “She never went in,” Patricia claimed in 2012. “It was beautiful out, and they went into the kiddie pool. She’s a redhead. She got sunburnt.”
“She’s 6 years old. Yes, she does go tanning with mommy, but not in the booth,” she added. “The whole thing’s preposterous!”
This incident brought Patricia the nickname “Tan Mom.” Not only that, but her face was all over the media and the magazines.
“When you look at this, this is somebody who has a problem which most likely has a condition called tanerexia, where they just don’t realize just how much color they have,” New York dermatologist Doris Day told ABC News.
“There’s really no excuse to take a young child to a tanning salon,” she added.
“We often consider going to a tanning salon the equivalent of smoking for the skin and the younger you start, those effects are cumulative.”
Looking at what Patricia looked like after all those tanning sessions, a number of prominent dermatologists took their time to remind the public of the negative effects of excessive tanning.
“In all my years of treating patients as a dermatologist, I have never encountered anything like this,” Zeichner told the NY Daily News.
“Going to a tanning salon 20 times a month, frankly, is insane, especially with all of the public education and awareness campaigns on the dangers of tanning beds and skin cancers.”
“It may be she has an [obsession with] tanning, which actually now has a name – tanorexia. She may need help to treat not only the damage to her skin but also what is going on with her psychologically,” he added.
In 2013, Patricia was cleared of all the charges but still, many people condemned her for her parenting.
All the pressure by the public and the media had a negative effect on Patricia who started drinking. Eventually, the family decided to move from New Jersey to Florida, looking for a fresh start.
Eventually, she decided she could use her fame in order to make some money. Being a mom of five and her husband being out of work, she said she planned on starring in a movie about her life and writing a book. She also claimed that there were plenty of modeling job offers on the table.
“It’s not even near being over,” she said about her moment in the spotlight. “Everyone wants me. I have a lot of other opportunities, so I’m just trying to figure out where to move my family.”
