Patricia Krentcil tanned five days a week and almost lost her life – this is what “Tan Mom” looks like today

Patricia Krentcil went viral in 2012 after being charged with child endangerment. Readers may in fact know her better by another name, “Tan Mom,” as she was obsessed with going to the tanning salon and spending time in the booth five days a week. 

Eventually, the controversial phenomenon called tanerexia – where one doesn’t realize or accept just how much color they have – almost took Patricia’s life. Now, she’s doing much better, though she still goes to the salon.

Over the last ten years, “Tan Mom” has been through a lot. Here’s what she looks like today!

Being obsessed with anything – be it food, shopping, watching television series, or anything else – is rarely a good habit to develop. Some things are, of course, worse for your health than others, but in the end, it’s essential to be aware what sort of impact an obsession can have on one’s life in the long run.

If you ever feel like something is beginning to take over your life, or that you are prioritizing an obsession over other important things in your everyday life, it’s probably a good idea to see someone. Try talking to a friend, or seeking help through counseling.

Patricia Krentcil – ‘Tan Mom’

For Patricia Krentcil, her obsession took her to viral fame. When she was younger, she started to engage in tanning, and it quickly became a big part of her life. In 2012, Patricia became a phenomenon on the internet after she stood trial for taking her daughter with her to the tanning salon. She was never convicted, but her name was now out there.

Today, she takes a healthier approach to tanning, but her time in the tanning booth has greatly affected her life and appearance.

Patricia’s tanning obsession began when she was just 23 years old. The New Jersey woman was – according to the owner of City Tropics tanning salon in Nutley, New Jersey – averaging five visits a week for a maximum session of 12 minutes. She had an unlimited monthly plan of $100.

“I’ve been tanning my whole life, going to the beach, tanning salons and so forth,” she said.

Now, it wasn’t the fact that she was tanning that first made her an internet sensation. In 2012, her face was all over the internet for a whole different reason.

In May 2012, Krentcil faced criminal charges of child endangerment. As reported by CBS New York, police said she had put her 6-year-old daughter in a stand-up tanning booth, leaving the child with burns.

Charged after brining daughter tanning

Patricia, though, said it all was a big misunderstanding. She insisted she would never bring her daughter, Anna, to the salon.

“No not at all, not at all, not whatsoever,” Krentcil said.

But the Nutley Police Department arrested and charged Krentcil with child endangerment. Authorities alleged that she had taken Anna with her to the tanning salon, and that the child had suffered a slight burn.

According to ABC, New Jersey law didn’t permit anyone younger than 14 to use a tanning facility. Teens older than 14 were allowed to go to salons, but only with parental consent.

In Anna’s case, the controversy began when a school nurse happened to ask Anna how she had gotten burned, to which the girl answered: “I go tanning with mommy.” Patricia, though, claimed that Anna had been burned after playing outside in their backyard.

“There’s not room… I would never permit it… It didn’t happen,” Krentcil said.

“She’s 6 years old. Yes, she does go tanning with mommy, but not in the booth,” she added. “The whole thing’s preposterous!”

“They just don’t realize just how much color they have”

Not only that, but it shed light on the controversial phenomenon called tanorexia, a condition where a person becomes dependent and obsessed with tanning.

“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.”

Health experts agreed that Patricia’s case was very extreme. In fact, it was one of the wildest cases Dermatologist Dr. Joshua Zeichner had seen.

“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.”