Megan Blain, an 18-year-old who’s hooked on sunbeds, says she won’t stop tanning, even though online trolls are constantly insulting her. They’ve compared her skin to a “dirty 2p coin,” but she feels stuck in a tanning habit she can’t break.
Megan, from Seaham, County Durham, started using sunbeds at 16 to keep a tan all year. She ditched fake tan products for daily sunbed sessions and even began using tanning injections to get a darker glow. Although she didn’t know much about the risks, she spent up to 30 minutes on sunbeds, sometimes using baby oil to boost the effect.
Teenager Megan Blain, 18, has admitted to being addicted to sunbeds, despite facing harsh criticism online and noticing concerning changes to her skin
Megan said, “I liked how I looked with a tan. I wear bright colors, and the tan made them stand out more. Once I saw how good it looked, I started going to the sunbeds more often.”
But her intense tanning routine has raised health concerns. Megan now admits she’s addicted and has tried to cut back on sunbed use.
She also says the tanning injections make her feel sick, and she’s noticed a strange patch on her skin that changes size. Even though she’s scared it could be cancer, she hasn’t stopped tanning yet. Megan has tried to go to the doctor several times but gets too nervous to go inside.
“I’m the type of person who worries about everything, so it’s strange that I’m not more worried about this patch. I know it could be melanoma, but I still use sunbeds, which shows it’s an addiction. I never feel dark enough,” she explained.
She says she’s stuck in a cycle of overusing sunbeds and taking injections that make her feel sick and unable to eat. She used to go every day, but now she goes about four times a week.
Despite getting negative attention from strangers, with some saying she looks like a “burnt chip” or a “cremated” version of herself, Megan still can’t imagine life without tanning beds.
Megan said, “Everywhere I go, people stare at me. When they say I’m dark, I don’t believe them. I don’t feel dark at all, like I can’t see it myself.”
She admits she wants to stop using sunbeds one day, but she can’t imagine quitting. “I wouldn’t recommend this to anyone because you could get addicted without even realizing it, like I did,” she warned.
Megan has tried to cut down, now only using sunbeds four times a week, and she’s using her TikTok platform to warn younger people about the dangers of sunbed addiction. She’s especially worried because more young people seem to be using sunbeds than older ones, and she knows how easy it is to get hooked.
However, Megan has also faced online trolls who make fun of her tan. Some compare her to “burnt chips” or say her skin looks like a dirty “2p coin.” One person even asked if the sunbeds “cremated” her.
While Megan’s views on tanning have changed, she still struggles to break her habit of using UV lights.
Megan said, “After two years, I’ve changed my mind about sunbeds. If I could go back, I’d never start. Now, it’s not even about wanting to be tan anymore—I just feel like I have to use them.”
She explained that once she’s on the sunbed, it’s hard to turn it off. “I don’t even like using them anymore, I actually dread it, but I feel like I physically can’t stop.”
Another tanning addict, Fionnghuala Maguire, 35, from Belfast, shared her story, saying she feels “lucky to be alive” after using sunbeds almost every day for 15 years. She started at 14 and never used sunscreen during that time. Fionnghuala is now warning others not to make the same mistake, having been hooked on tanning and going to salons up to seven days a week at the height of her addiction.
20 Prom Photos That Show What Graduates Looked Like When Phones Still Had Wires
Prom is an opportunity to feel like a real princess. Many girls prepare for it as if it were their wedding, choosing a special dress, makeup, and hairstyle long before the event. We think it’d be fun to see how graduates of different eras from around the world looked during their prom.
“My mom and the prom dress my grandmother made, 1965”
“Here’s my grandmother in the prom dress her mother made for her. This photo was probably taken in or around 1953.”
“My aunt and uncle at their prom, 1971 — she still looks amazing.”
“Prom 1959 to 2022: Grandma is still serving looks.”
“My parents at prom in 1992”
“Rocking into prom (1988)! I still laugh when looking at this photo.”
“My grandma, posing in her homemade prom dress in the mid-1940s”
“My mom and dad at their prom, 1986 — I will always want her dress.”
“My great-grandmother at her high school prom, I believe it was 1948.”
“My prom in 1993: the helmet hair, the sequins, the black pumps, the press-on nails”
“My grandma winning prom queen, May 1957”
“My grandmother’s senior prom photo, early 1960s”
“My grandparents at their prom (late 1940s) and on their wedding day (1950)”
“That time in 1989 when I was short and had a mullet, and my buddy took a soap star to prom.”
“My grandma, ready for prom, 1959 — she actually made that dress.”
“My mom’s prom, 1976”
“My grandparents at their senior prom in 1958 — I think they look so sharp!”
“Big hair prom, 1988 — thank gosh my hair didn’t catch on fire. It was so flammable!”
“My nana’s prom picture, circa 1942 — I inherited her lovely ginger locks.”
“My mom at her prom in 1973”
Speaking of the last century, we decided to recall what was happening back in 1989, when the Internet had just been invented
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