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Subscribe to RSSPatricia Krentcil, who is accused of allegedly bringing her 5-year-old into a tanning booth, pleaded not guilty, saying her daughter suffered a sunburn. NBC's Mara Schiavocampo reports on the court appearance, and attorney Star Jones and Dr. Jennifer Ashton comment on the charges and the dangers of tanning.
Yikes!
That’s was the reaction of many of our readers after seeing burnt-to-a-crisp New Jersey mom Patricia Krentcil, who made news after authorities arrested her for taking her 5-year-old daughter to a tanning salon to tan, a claim she denies.
Krentcil does admit that she enjoys tanning -- perhaps a bit too much -- but all those hours in UV light have likely damaged the collagen in Krentcil's skin, causing her leathery, brown visage.
“That’s a result of chronic exposure, which causes darkening of the skin,” says Dr. Shannon Campbell, clinical assistant professor of general dermatology and cutaneous oncology at The Ohio State University James Cancer Center.
While many people just desire a bronze color, a tan is actually the body’s way of protecting itself. “Why is she so dark? Tanning is a protective mechanism that the body has and it is sign of skin damage if the body tans. That explains why her skin is so dark,” says Campbell.
TODAY
New Jersey mom Patricia Krentcil is denying charges of child endangerment after taking her 5-year-old daughter to a tanning salon. But what many msnbc.com readers couldn't help but focus on was her leathery visage.
Collagen, which is in the dermis, the second layer of the skin, gives the skin its elasticity. Collagen keeps skin strong and elastic, but as it lessens due to age or UV damage, the skin sustains cracks or wrinkles. It’s what makes skin pliable and the less one has, the more wrinkles occur. That's what's causing Krentcil to look prematurely aged and leathery (she's 44, but could easily pass as a Golden Girl).
And tanning — especially indoor tanning — causes more than just hideous looks. Campbell says that people who use tanning beds are 2.5 times more likely to develop squamous cell carcinomas (SCC) and 1.5 times more likely to develop basal cell carcinomas (BCC). Someone with such a tanning history would also suffer from a weakened immune system (people often develop cold sores after tanning) and an increased chance of getting cataracts and ocular melanoma, a rare and often overlooked eye cancer caused by overexposure to UV light.
Krentcil's excessive tanning has focused attention on "tanorexia," a habit that research indicates can be as addictive as alcohol or smoking. A small study from 2006 found that when people who compulsively sunbathe -- whether in a tanning booth or outdoors -- stop, they can feel withdrawal symptoms from their UV high. And an earlier msnbc.com story reported that many teen girls hit the tanning salon for the first time with mom. Researchers from East Tennessee state University found that nearly 40 percent of young women, ages 18 to 30, who participated in a small study said their first experience with indoor tanning was with their mother.
Whether someone is hooked on rays -- artificial or real -- the World Health Organization classifies ultraviolet radiation as a known carcinogen, Dr. Jennifer Ashton, author of "Your Body Beautiful," told TODAY Thursday. "They put it on the same level as cigarettes, on the same level as plutonium. So it's dangerous."
But there is hope for Krentcil. If she stops tanning her skin might lighten and different treatments could repair her collagen, leading to a more youthful appearance. Yet, Krentcil will probably always be at higher risk for cancer:
“To a degree the damage has already been done,” Campbell says.
More from The Body Odd:
Related:
For teens, 'tanorexia' starts with mom
Women with melanoma fare better than men
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Does she actually think this is a good look? I'm sorry, but anyone exhibiting such poor judgment, would probably take their child in. Tanning bed burns can be quite severe, which is probably what the nurse saw that concerned her. Why anyone would even take a child to the bed, whether they were in it or not, is beyond me. Way to influence your kid with a habit that could shorten their life. Good job mom.
She looks like a Cremator from Rutt's Hut.
Michael Jackson's opposite!
G Reaper - One of the funniest posts ever!
Looks like a face transplant was performed using a catcher's mitt.
I hope she doesn't tan naked, as that is the catcher's mitt I would NOT want to see!!
Stupidity personified ! She needs a shrink not a tanning bed !
looks like she was bobbin' for french fries
Really, this article had to explain why she looks like sh**??? Must be a slow news day...
Come on people, The second photo is obviously retouched for color to exaggerate the story. Compare the two photos. Haven't you learned anything from Trayvon, Zimmermen, Obama, or anyone else the news outlets have manipulated in photos?
Works every time apparently.
While I admit it's not the brightest habit, when used IN MODERATION, it can be relatively safe. Even bringing the kid into the room with you if you don't have a babysitter isn't particularly outrageous to me, so long as the kid isn't disruptive to others, or in the bed itself.
Both the mom and the tanning folks both said the little girl wasn't in the bed, I'm curious what evidence they might have that would prove otherwise. No way to prove where she got a sunburn, and from the interviews I've seen with the girl, she is a sweet little year old, who might not be getting her story out as she should.
Ever see moms smoke? Ever see moms drive without seatbelts, or using their phones while driving? Those are far more dangerous and deserving of such vitriol than this case, even if the mom does look like a freak show.
She (and we) would benefit far more from her getting mental help, than jail time.
I've seen the video it came from, she's tanned a LOT since her arrest apparently. It's not been retouched, check your foil for leaks.
eeewwww... idiotic lady. Did the tanning also cause all those pockmarks in her face?
I have a old baseball catchers mitt that looks better!
Only Jerseyites would appreciate those comments!! ROFL!
The problem is the Cremator has a lot less wrinkles and cracks in the skin. Seriously.
She looks like an ape!
Excuse me, but any amount of tanning is not healthy. A tan is the sign that your skin has been damaged, and just one bad sunburn leaps your risk of skin cancer tremendously. Sorry, but I think that all tanning salons should be banned, IMMEDIATELY.
OMG - I know where Rutt's Hut is! And you're right.
C NJ Mom, G_Reaper & jp-3747628... I had to look it up (I'm in CT).. I was funny after I figured it out.. lol
jim-350736, the second photo is from the interview from yesterday.. This IS how dark she was throughout the entire broadcast... The new photo on the top of this article makes her look a lot better than she did yesterday.
Wether she brought her daughter in there or not, she's going to have a very hard time with this. I can imagine too many judges will be able to look at her and not see how her addiction could have brought her to include her child with it..
It's called bodydysmorphia and it's a sad sad condition. People see themselves as too fat/not enough muscle/not dark enough, etc, etc, even though everyone around them can see the truth. Sadly the people with the disorder are the ones who suffer.
I believe her when she says her daughter got a sunburn until proven otherwise.
If her eyes were not open, I 'd guess her to be a body pulled from a fire. She makes my stomach turn.
btw -- Former neighbors in Cary, IL say she did tan naked in her back yard.
Fred Evil, you have been misinformed- there is NO 'safe' amount of tanning, whether it is artificial or from the sun. and 'moderation' in use does not change the risk- tanning the skin leads to an increased risk of skin cancer period. and taking a child into the room, where their eyes are being exposed to the UV light is dangerous to their vision. there is no such thing as a safe tanning booth/bed!
Go to the NJ.COM web site and look at the interview she did with a local station. My god, she is even darker in that interview. She's completely black, but with white outlines around her eyes and hairline. Freaky.
I can't imagine this woman doesn't have an addictive personality. Anyone that would do that to themselves and actually THINK that looks good has got to have a few screws loose. I worry about her daughter and hope she doesn't grow up thinking she needs to change that drastically. This mother is going to be heading towards some serious medical problems, if she isn't already.
OMFG! I practically grew up on Rutt's Hut stuff when I lived in NJ. How dare you insult the looks of their Cremator by comparing it to her face!
I personally prefer the rippers but the cremator analogy seems spot on.
Oh good lord, everything contributes to our death in some way or another, tanning CAN have side effects, but they are minimal when compared to the vast mountain of more serious things to worry about.
LOOK OUT! HERE COMES TEH SUN! EVERYBODY HIDES INSIDE!!!
Uh huh...and...does that tell you anything?
I can't beleive my post stating the obvious to anyone with eyes got collapsed.
Some of you really, really MUST hate on this woman to the point of swallowing anything. I honestly can't believe some of the personal attacks here. She is a HUMAN BEING people. Some of you just need to stfu and get a life.
Yeah, intentional tanning is bad, but jeez, the poor woman and her family and friends can read this crap you know. Unreal.
See these all the time on the beaches of Rio. She'll regret it when she gets into her 30's;-)
I'm not from NJ - West Coast; So I'm going with - she looks like the Crypt Keeper from the HBO series
bing.com/images/search?q=cript+keeper&view=detail&id=2842885EC8577070B2310501F78D9C375C3D2A3F&first=0
You have to be seriously deluded to think that makes you look good. It's one thing to want to have a bit of tint or a glow, but to be leatherface like her or orange like Snookie is just nuts.
What a ridiculous statement.
Alcoholics can DIE from abrupt withdrawal from alcohol. Heavy smokers who stop cold turkey can experience extremely severe symptoms. These two substances are ADDICTIVE.
This woman may be mentally ill, but she is not "addicted" to tanning. People don't become "addicted" to shopping, or food, or tanning, or any other self-discipline issue. They get addicted to drugs, including alcohol and nicotine.
The discussion about whether the tanning bed is safe... is not correct. I believe that the the tanning bed is necessary for the deprived areas of sun light. What people dont know, is that D3 that does come from the sun, is vital to the proper working to the thryoid which, is vital to every thing in life. Vitamin D3 supports the Breast, bones and colon. How much sun? WEl that depends on what you can take and what you can risk. The exposure is no different from one to another... the results will always be the same.
Anyone here ever see the movie Triology of Terror? This woman reminds me of that dark-skinned- white eyeballed "He who Kills" doll in that flick. I kid you not!
She thinks everyone is jealous of her? Are you effing kidding me? She looks SEVENTY FOUR, not forty four.
I showed my wife this article and video last night and she just laughed her a$$ off. My lily white complexioned wife (and yes, I'm damn proud of her) ---- jealous???? Ya, right!!
Think of all the time preparing for movie shoots that could have been avoided if only she and her clones had auditioned for Planet of the Apes.
Nice hairpiece, Mr. Speaker.
I can't help wondering what she would look like without the constant tanning. I am the exact same age as her and find myself in complete shock at the difference in our appearances. Poor dear, we girls do buy some of the craziest ideas about beauty when we are young and it looks like she never overcame the need to "improve" herself anymore than the other women with body dismorphea. There must be a lot of pain hidden behind the need to do that to herself.
ohmigosh she is hideous looking! Does she thinks that she looks good like this? if yes, this woman needs psychological help immediately!
Probably the same sort of distortion that makes anorexics think they look good when their bones are sticking out all over the place. Or those who don't think we can't tell they've been botoxed. Or even those who wear too much make-up. I suspect it's all down to the same underlying psychological disorder.
If I were to see her on the street, and not know anything about her, I would presume she were the victim of a horrible accident or skin disorder -- not something she had done to herself deliberately!
I caught a glimpse of her picture on Jimmy Kimmel last night. I thought it was a bit they were doing -- not an actual photo...
I don't know if she let the child get in the tanning bed with her, but I am certainly questioning her mental state. From the looks of her she is way obsessed with turning herslf into leather. She needs help, and that makes her judgement with her children questionable.
I've seen pictures of my great-great-grandparents, who farmed a small piece of land in the south in the 1800s. They looked like apple-core dolls and still looked better than this woman. But at least they got that way by being out on the farm and working hard their whole lives. Amazing to think this lady paid good money to get that way.
Golden girl....
Golden Brown maybe.
Golden turkey.
Basted football brown
That face will haunt my dreams forever.
There is nothing "golden" or "girl" about this woman. Her stated age is incorrect. She is really 308 and that's in dog years.
Are there any photos of the daughter looking tanned like this leather purse? The woman clearly needs an intervention and family should sue tanning booth salon for allowing this to happen. Yeah, yeah I know it's a free country and we all have the right to make our choices. Apparently common sense was never one of her strong points.
No, the daughter is actually very pale and appeared red headed. Judging from both this womans looks and the way she was acting when interviewed leads me to believe she does try to tan her daughter either at the tanning salon or outside.
Heather, I agree with everything you say right up to the point where you think the family should sue the tanning booth salon. WHAT?! Where have you been during the last 20 or 30 years that tobacco product manufacturers have, again and again, staved off attempts by families to win damages for loss of loved ones? If the tanning booth industry is bad, the tobacco industry is evil incarnate. It would be a pointless waste of time and money to try to sue the tanning booth people for what this adult has done willingly to herself. Choose your battles--not gonna win that one.
The family would be better off spending their time trying to reach her and spending their money on psychological help if/when she should choose to accept it. According to the original article, she is married. The husband, instead of being an enabler, should level with his wife, tell her he's found dog-chewed combat boots more attractive than her face (kidding--sort of), and insist she get counseling.
If she refuses, he should at least be vigilant where their daughter is concerned--ensuring that his wife never take the child to a tanning salon again and also actively instilling some better values into the child. Of course, this all assumes some intelligence/common sense and a SPINE on his part...
She has no basis for a law suit. Did the tanning salon come to her and force her into the tanning bed at gun point? No they didn't. If they refused her business she would have just gone elsewhere and possibly sued them. Liquor companies don't force you to drink, cigarette companies don't force you to smoke, fast food restaurants don't force you to eat, auto companies don't force you to drive like a idiot, casinos don't force you to gamble, etc etc etc. When you knowingly do something that is bad for you and is commonly and generally known it is on you.
As a redhead, I can tell you the first thing you need to do: stay away from the sun and tanning beds. We tend to burn more quickly, more thoroughly and we never get that "golden tan" everyone wants. We just burn and peel, burn and peel, burn and peel, ad infinitum.
No one forces anyone to go to a tanning salon... smoke... drink... do drugs.... live with it.... it's a vice and we all have them.... so suing is not a possibility or even reasonable.... using that thinking I should sue Kroger for allowing me to buy fattening food....... and like someone above said... they go from salon to salon.....I know every salon is regulated to some extent and most only allow 15 or 20 minutes within a 24hr period... and they mean it. I heard someone fussing about it being "only 20 minutes early" and the salon rep wouldn't let the person go... so there seems to be some regulation somewhere.....
The odds are the woman takes the girl TO the tanning salon but she does not tan. I don't know of a tanning salon in their right minds that would allow the girl in the room with her mother while tanning. The places I have gone to sure don't. The kids sit in the waiting area and are not allowed in the room... they could be exposed to the UV rays and don't have eye protection.
And before everyone goes stupid... tanning has been shown to improve symptoms of Psoriasis, Rheumatoid and Osteoarthritis and depression.. when used properly... a few minutes at a time. Or those same patients can sit in the sun for 20 or 30 minutes.....we do need sunlight remember for some hormone and vitamin production..... but no one needs to look anything near this monster. She needs help.
Typical -- thinking the Government and courts need to intervene - tanning is this woman's personal choice - its her choice to choose what she does with her body - Ring any bells? "Goverment keep your hands off my body?" If Sandra Fluk has her way - we should all be paying for what this woman wants since as Paul did point out correctly UV light has been proven to be beneficial in moderation. Now - if universal health care kicks in - we'll all be paying for this woman's cancer treatment - should we? No? Well then - lets ban tanning all together - while we're at it - research has shown that brussel sprouts prevent toe fungus - so the government is going to implement a law that says since we shouldn't have to pay for your toe fungus you will need to serve and eat a helping of brussel sprouts once a week. Still think the government needs to intervene? Still think they know what's best?
Paul - I agree with you - even people who work 3rd shift have been prescribed to undergo "uv light" thereapy since they are usually sleeping during daylight hours.
As for the people that had to "ask" what made this woman's face look that way --- go back to your high school and sue them - clearly you were cheated out of an education. Really? Your public education has failed you. You really had to ask? My. God.
Okay, I agree with go outside for 20 minutes. That's a good thing on many levels. But tanning beds provide an ENTIRE DAY'S WORTH OF SUNLIGHT in the space of just 15-30 minutes (depending on the levels). So...that really doesn't correlate. Tanning salons are dangerous, plain and simple.
I think she had the little girl put her arm up to the tanning bed while she was in it to see if the little girl would tan. A fair-skinned redhead like the little girl would just turn red from a tan.
MJ wanted white skin. What's wrong with her being on the dark side?
MJ wanted to erase his appearance as a black man, entirely. Not just the skin bleaching but all of the plastic surgeries. Heck, he ever had his "children" artificially conceived so they would not have black features.
I'm certainly no fan of M. Jackson and his ilk, but to be fair about it (no pun intended) he suffered from extensive vitiligo, thus he had no control over his pigmentation.
Hogwash. The ailment had no inherited incidences in his background, and many dermatologists doubted his excuse according to medical analysis. Even if he had the ailment, why not treat the 5% of his skin instead of the 95%?
He was a perverted nutcase, who hated being black.
on an Anderson 360 show they had an interview where this woman was talking about the incident and you could clearly see she is not in her right mind by how she spoke.. I think the tanning bed burned her brain as well. I think her daughter should be closely followed by children's services. She pretty much called her daughter a liar for the story the daughter told to the nurse at school but I would certainly believe the little girl over the brain cooked mom any day.
another genetic defect...Darwin was correct
Yep - this is natural selection at work. If she wants to cook herself to death, I say let her. However, she shouldn't be allowed to take her 5-year-old daughter down with her.
Just think - if she looks like this now, what will she look like in 30 years, if she isn't dead from skin cancer before then.
Are you sure? lets do the math on " natural selection " what i read is that about 97% are die-offs so that maybe .2% are advantaged, the other % are just mutations that have neither positive/negative effects. So what is " Darwinian Advantage "? :=)
Lack of collagen may be the scientific explanation but this is a classic case of vainity, self-image, self-worth and what defines physical beauty gone completely awry!
She should be cast in a movie called Krentcil - The Bride of Otzi: The Mummified Prehistoric Icewoman of the Alps!!!
Thankfully the authorities intervened with regard to her daughter before she turned that poor kid into something resembling a runaway McNugget floating in a deepfat fryer!
sniff!!! I hate what happed to the dog in that movie! So sad! (spoiler) At least the boy escaped, so it ends happy. Is it available on DVD? I think it's been 35 years since I last saw it on TV. One of the last Hammer films.
Desertbro - You need to watch to the very end. Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson comes in on a hovercraft with the gang of Jersey Shore and the boy in tow and finds that the dog's death was faked by The Evil Boss (played by Willem Dafoe). Cut to scene with the whole crew sipping Mai Tais on the French Riviera. This is followed by a monologue by George Hamilton explaining the dangers of tanning while trapped in ice for centuries. Quite touching.
And damn, I remember commenting recently on another article, about high-school prom girls and artificial tanning. This is EXACTLY what I told them they end up looking like.
And you don't even have to go to this extreme. It only takes a few sessions before your Tanning Bed Tag makes your face start looking like it's going to fall off.
Pale is hot!
I almost feel bad for her. The internet is going to do hilarious things with her picture, and I don't think she has any idea what's in store for her.
She may not actually look this bad. Remember when magazine covers artificially darkened OJ's skin? It's all about selling ads.
she does look this bad, find the video anderson cooper used in his show of her, she was this dark in the video
It looks like tanning destroyed her looks, but I take ANYTHING that Anderson Cooper says or does on his show with a grain of salt - Same mistrust also applies to O'Reilly as well.... The media is dishonest and FAKE, regardless of political color.
I wouldn't be too surprised if she's a tanning addict. But the effects are certainly disturbing.
She's be right at home in the "Texas Chainsaw Massacre"
Or "Squidbillies"!
I am SO outraged at this whole article and all the other publicity this gal is getting. This woman can do WHATEVER she wants to do with her skin. This whole thing is nothing more than adult bullying and sets an absurd precedent for todays children. When they hear/read this stuff (and they are hearing it - a newscaster on this mornings local news made a really derogatory comment about her), they assume it's OK to do the same thing to their classmates/friends. People are so cruel and it starts with adults who think they are better than others. Quit throwing stones until you look in yourself. Leave this woman ALONE and teach your children to do the same. You all have nobody to blame but yourself the next time a kid goes postal over the bullying they have received from your children because they heard this stuff at home. OK - I've vented enough and my prayers go out to all of you that you will think before you speak in the future.
You're right, this woman should be free to do whatever she wants to herself (we let people smoke and drink after all).
However, all the hubbub started when she was accused of bringing her 5-year old daughter in to the tanning booth. That is child abuse and it is not allowed.
Perhaps you could follow your own advice and read the article before you speak?
You really need to lay off the caffeine in the morning. Is it hard sitting with your panties in a bunch? Sheeesh, this woman DESERVES everything derogatory anybody says about her. Her stupidity is monumental.
She is a freak, stupid and it is doubtful your prayers (or anybody elses) prayer will help her. Now, take a deep breath and go for a six mile run. Maybe that holier-than-thou attitude will go away.
I have to agree with you, M. While I've been guilty of saying this woman needs psychiatric help, I may have also crossed the line a bit calling her names like "tanorexic." I further agree that what we're doing here amounts to no more than adult bullying. And I saw it yesterday on the late night talk shows, too. Our kids are learning it from us and the media and we have nobody but ourselves to blame.
M - I agree completely. I clicked on a video segment about this earlier today and was appalled at the general discussion about this woman. Let the justice system make the call about whether or not her kid was exposed to a tanning bed. But her looks are nobody's business and all the vicious comments about her are unnecessary.
AG99 - She doesn't look this bad - she looks WORSE! Check out the interview with her on CNN. The picture above doesn't even do her justice.
My office mate has scleraderma (an autoimmune disease that results in an OVER production of collagen). I wonder if tanning is a prescribed treatment.
way too much tanning, she looke like the childs grandmother instead of her Mother...don't think she realizes how this has aged her.
This woman looks like beef jerky.
That's an insult to beef jerky. At least beef jerky is tasty and nutritious....
Planet of the apes comes to mind.
I'll give you tasty. Nutritious?
Body Worlds looks like beef jerky. This woman looks like a Thanksgiving turkey.
I don't know why people go "tanning." Why not just be happy with one's skin color being whatever it is? I get a bit tan, but only from being outside. Not from purposely trying to get that way. Ditto my wife.
OMG, schnuptz, that's what I thought when I first saw her...she looks like the POTAs masks and makeup...What she spends on tanning she saves on Halloween costumes!
Is this the part when someone say's wackadoodle. She cannot be in her right mind. Killing ones self by paying for tanning booths. There is no way to explain her behaviour as being rational. She needs to spend her money on therapy or drugs or both. Ok that makes me a bully.
OMG! I called her "wackadoodle-doo" last night.
I like the late George Carlin's "Wack-a-loon"! Says it all.
Does this woman sound 'with it' by the interview? I think not. I sense personality disorder somewhere...
Ya think?
No need for the phone - E T IS home.
OMG...that was funny!!!!
She looks like the old chick in "Something about Mary". She looks horrible. We only can see her face. Imagine what her burnt body looks like? I just threw up in my mouth......
Oh, Ronnie! Thanks a lot for ruining my tranquil morning with THAT image! (~~desperately trying to conjure images of dewy gardens, ocean sunrises, baby kitties, etc.~~)
At least none of us has to sleep with her - can you imagine waking up next to her?? (Especially if you had a few too many the night before?) That scream would hang in the ionsphere for millenia...
Does coyote ugly come to mind. I would definetly chew my arm off to get away without wakeing that up.
Please get help. Find a treatment center and get checked in. Do it for yourself and for your daughter. Do it so you live long enough to see her graduate from high school and college.
The irony is that the attractiveness of "tanned" skin is as an indicator of health and vigor, as opposed to the "deathly pallor" of the congenitally unsound, diseased and pest-ridden. This grotesque turn is just another case of the instincts of men that once ensured his survival being twisted into something that works to his destruction. It belongs up there with eye makeup and skin creams that provide the illusion of hyper-femininity and youth in women who have neither. Men have less need of artificiality than women. They simply have to appear affluent. There are plenty of easily-accrued possessions that allow men to imitate wealth. It's all a mating dance, born of instinct and perverted by culture, that should surprise no one.
Actually, pale white skin was once sought after, to the point of people poisoning themselves with arsenic to make themselves look as white as Casper...
And it wasn't just the women.
I think we've just discovered a new kind of dark matter..... does she work? because she looks like a real brown noser to me..
extreme tanning is pathological... as is extreme tattooing and body piercing...
this woman is doing more than making herself look like leather -- she is cooking her skin and, sadly, will probably end up with melanoma...
what she is teaching her daughter about "beauty" is unhealthy.
Anyone else want to make smores?
Not a smores fan, but I do have a craving for pulled pork BBQ & bacon now.
Stick a pole in her and she's shish kabob