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.“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.

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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.

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

At that point, Patricia got the nickname “Tan Mom” in the media. The alleged incident went viral online, and Patricia’s face was shown on news broadcasts and in newspapers all over the world.

“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.”

“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.

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