I’m an 18-year-old sunbed junkie…trolls say I look “burnt” but I feel more glamorous than ever

A sunbed-addicted teenager has said she will never give up her tan even after being bombarded with abuse by trolls.

Megan Blain, 18, who has used sunbeds daily for two years, has even been compared to a ‘dirty 2p coin’ by trolls, but insists she’s stuck in a tanning cycle and can’t imagine stopping .

The student, from Seaham, County Durham, started using sunbeds aged 16, hoping to maintain a tan all year round.

She swapped fake tanning products for sunbeds and even started injecting herself with tanning agents to achieve a deeper glow.

Although she “didn’t know much about sunbeds” at first, she spent up to half an hour on the beds under UV lights for more than a year, often coated in baby oil to improve results.

Teen Megan Blain, 18, has admitted to being addicted to sunbeds, despite facing harsh criticism online and noticing changes in her skin.

Trolls have compared Megan to a “dirty 2-piece”, but she insists she’s stuck in a tanning cycle and can’t imagine stopping.

She said: “I liked how I looked with a tan.” I’m a bright color wearer and I like how you made the colors pop. I started seeing results and how good it made me look and I started going more often.’

However, her intense tanning regime has raised health alarms, prompting Megan to acknowledge her ‘addition’ and cut back on her sunbed use.

The student admits that tanning injections make him nauseous and even noticed a suspicious patch on his skin recently, but the cancer scare still hasn’t stopped him from tanning.

Megan said: “I’ve noticed a patch on my skin that keeps changing in size. I’ve tried going to the doctors five times but I keep freezing at the door.

“I’m one of those people who will worry about anything, so I don’t worry about having melanoma that I noticed a few months ago and still abusing the sunbeds has made me realize that this is an addiction. I just never think that i’m dark enough

She explained: “I’m stuck in a cycle of abusing sunbeds and getting tanning injections that make me feel sick and sometimes I can’t eat. I used to go every day and now it’s four times a week.’

Megan says her extreme tan has drawn attention from strangers, with some comparing her to a “burnt chip” or saying she looks like a “burnt” version of herself.

However, despite the backlash online, she insists she never feels “dark enough” and struggles to imagine a life without tanning beds.

The student, from Seaham, County Durham, started using sunbeds aged 16, hoping to maintain a tan all year round.

She swapped fake tanning products for sunbeds and even started injecting herself with tanning agents to achieve a deeper glow.

The student admits that tanning injections make him nauseous and even noticed a suspicious patch on his skin recently.

Despite “not knowing much about sunbeds” at first, Megan spent up to half an hour on the beds under UV lights for more than a year, often coated in baby oil to enhance the results.

She said: “Everywhere I go, I see people staring at me. When people say I’m dark, I find it hard to believe. I don’t feel dark, it’s like I’m physically blind.

“I want to stop one day, but I can never imagine myself without going to the sunbeds. I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone. You could end up addicted without even realizing it like me.

In a bid to regain control, Megan has reduced her lounger use to four times a week and is now using her platform on TikTok to warn “the younger generation” about the dangers of lounger addiction.

She said: “It seems the younger generation are using (hammocks) more than the older generation, which is worrying because if I got addicted without even realizing it, it could happen to other people too “.

On TikTok, Megan has become a target for trolls, who have joined forces to mock the teenager’s appearance.

Regarding Megan’s tanned skin color, one person wrote: “The chips that fell out of the oven.”

Another said: “You know when you get those really dirty 2p coins,” while a third commented: “Did you (the sunbeds) burn?”

Although her views on tanning have changed, Megan admits she still finds it hard to shake the compulsion to jump under UV lights.

Megan says her extreme tan has drawn the attention of strangers, with some comparing her to a “burnt chip” or saying she looks like a “burnt” version of herself.

Despite the backlash online, she insists she never feels “dark enough” and struggles to imagine a life without tanning beds.

Megan has reduced her lounger use to four times a week and is now using her platform on TikTok to warn ‘the younger generation’ about the dangers of lounger addiction.

She said: “After two years my views on sunbeds have changed. If I could go back in time I would never have started. I just feel like I have to go to the sunbeds, it’s not even a case of wanting to tan myself more

“It’s hard for me to turn off the sunbed when I’m on it. I don’t even like going to the sunbeds, it scares me, 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 to be alive” after things took a turn for the worse.

Fionnghuala Maguire, 35, from Belfast, started using sunbeds at the age of 14 and never applied SPF during her tanning years; now he is warning others not to make the same mistake.

He admits he has used the machines routinely for more than 15 years, visiting salons as often as seven days a week at the height of his addiction.