A teenager who is addicted to sunbeds has revealed she’s spotted worrying signs of UV damage on her body – but still can’t stop tanning.
Megan Blain, 18, who has used sunbeds almost every day for three years, has previously revealed how she’s been abused online over her habit, which she uses to achieved a deep bronzed look.
Some of the nastiest comments have compared her to a ‘dirty 2p coin’ – but she still visits the salon every day.
Now, Megan, from Seaham, County Durham, has revealed she’s found new moles on her body that she didn’t seem to have before she began regularly tanning – and has warned other people against trying sunbeds.
Her tanning addiction began when she was just 16 years old, in the hope of maintaining a tan that lasted all year round.
She swapped fake tan products for sunbeds and even started injecting herself with tanning agents to achieve a deeper glow.
Despite ‘not knowing much about sunbeds’ at first, she spent up to half an hour on the beds under the UV lights for over a year, often coated in baby oil to enhance the results.
Speaking in a Truly video, she said: ‘I started noticing moles on my back, my hands – I’ve got moles all over, but you do get moles off the sunbed. I didn’t know if the moles were cancerous.
Teenager Megan Blain, 18, has admitted to being addicted to sunbeds, despite facing harsh criticism online and noticing concerning changes to her skin
Megan has been compared to a ‘dirty 2p coin’ by trolls – but she insists she is trapped in a cycle of tanning and can’t imagine stopping
‘I’ve got a mark on my stomach. I tried going to the doctor’s but I freeze at the door.’
In a stark warning to others who have considered using sunbeds, she said: ‘The addiction’s just getting worse. I wouldn’t recommend going on sunbeds to anyone.’
Previously, Megan explained she began using sunbeds because she liked how she looked with a tan.
‘I’m a person that wears bright colours and liked how it made the colours pop,’ she said. ‘I started seeing results and how good it made me look and started going on more often.’
However, her intense tanning regime has raised health alarms, prompting Megan to acknowledge her ‘addition’ and cut down her sunbed usage.
The student admits tanning injections make her feel nauseous and she’s even noticed a suspicious patch recently appear on her skin – but fear of cancer has not made her stop tanning yet.
Megan said: ‘I’ve noticed a patch on my skin which keeps changing size. I’ve tried to go to the doctors like five times but keep freezing at the door.
‘I’m one of those people that will worry over anything so for me not to be worried about potentially having melanoma I noticed a few months ago and still abuse the sunbeds has made me realise this is an addiction. I just never think I’m dark enough.’
The student, from Seaham, County Durham, initially began using sunbeds at 16, hoping to maintain a year-round tan
She swapped fake tan products for sunbeds and even started injecting herself with tanning agents to achieve a deeper glow
The student admits tanning injections make her feel nauseous and she’s even noticed a suspicious patch recently appear on her skin
Despite ‘not knowing much about sunbeds’ at first, Megan spent up to half an hour on the beds under the UV lights for over a year, often coated in baby oil to enhance the results
She explained: ‘I’m stuck in a cycle of abusing sunbeds and taking tanning injections which make me feel sick and sometimes unable to eat. I used to go on every day and now it’s four times a week.’
Megan says her extreme tan has attracted attention from strangers, with some comparing her to a ‘burnt chip’ or saying she looks like a ‘cremated’ version of herself.
Yet despite the backlash online, she insists she never feels ‘dark enough’ and struggles to imagine a life without the tanning beds.
She said: ‘Everywhere I go, I see people staring at me. When people say I’m dark, I actually find that hard to believe. I don’t feel dark whatsoever – it’s like I’m physically blind.
‘I want to stop one day but I can’t ever imagine myself not going on the sunbeds. I wouldn’t recommend anyone to do this. You could end up addicted without even realising like me.’
In a bid to regain control, Megan has reduced her sunbed usage to four times a week and is now using her platform on TikTok to warn ‘the younger generation’ about the dangers of sunbed addiction.
She said: ‘The younger generation seem to be using [sunbeds] more than the older generation which is concerning because If I got addicted without even realising it then the same could happen to other people.’
On TikTok, Megan has become a target for trolls, who have joined forces to poke fun at the teenager’s appearance.
Megan says her extreme tan has attracted attention from strangers, with some comparing her to a ‘burnt chip’ or saying she looks like a ‘cremated’ version of herself
Despite the backlash online, she insists she never feels ‘dark enough’ and struggles to imagine a life without the tanning beds
Megan has reduced her sunbed usage to four times a week and is now using her platform on TikTok to warn ‘the younger generation’ about the dangers of sunbed addiction
In regards to Megan’s tanned skin colour, one person wrote: ‘The chips that fell down from the oven.’
Another said, ‘You know when you get those really dirty 2p coins,’ while a third commented, ‘Did [the sunbeds] cremate you?’
While her views on tanning have shifted, Megan admits that she still finds it hard to break free from the compulsion to hop under the UV lights.
She said: ‘After two years, my views on sunbeds have changed. If I could go back in time, I would’ve never started. I just feel like I have to go on the sunbeds – it’s not even a case of wanting to be tanned anymore.’
‘I find it hard to turn the sunbed off once I’m on. I don’t even like going on sunbeds, I dread it, but I feel like I physically have to go on.’
Meanwhile, a tanning addict who used sunbeds almost daily for 15 years has said she feels ‘lucky o be alive’ after things took a turn for the worst.
Fionnghuala Maguire, 35, from Belfast, started using sunbeds at the young age of 14 and never once applied SPF during her years of tanning – now she’s warning others not to make the same mistake.
She admits to using the machines routinely for more than 15 years – visiting salons as often as seven days a week at the peak of her addiction.
