Patricia Krentcil, New Jersey Mom Charged With Child Endangerment, May Be 'Tanorexic'

Patricia Krentcil denies that she brought her daughter into a tanning booth.

The story this week that a New Jersey mom allegedly let her 5-year-old daughter suffer second-degree burns by placing her in a tanning booth shocked the country.

But now, the concern is for the mother herself whose deeply bronzed complexion might indiciate she's addicted to the UV rays that have colored her skin.

Patricia Krentcil, 44, of Nutley, denies the allegations that her child Anna was burned in the tanning salon incident.

"It's all made up," Krentcil said in court on Wednesday when she pleaded not guilty to child endangerment.

"Never in my life would I endanger my child by putting her in a tanning booth. I'm not dumb," she said according to Reuters.

But by appearing on television to clear her name, critics wonder if the crispy-skinned Krenticil is "tanorexic."

A dermatologist writing in the New York Daily News said that "tanorexia" is a term for people who've become addicted to artificial tanning.

During an interview Wednesday with CBS, Krentcil's pigment appeared even darker than in her mug shot. Her skin is dark brown while her daughter's alleged burn appears to have healed.

The controversy started on April 24 when a school nurse examined Anna, who had a severe sunburn. The girl said she'd been tanning with her mother, but her parents say she spent too much time outside on a hot day.

The owner of City Tropics salon said Krentcil pays a monthly fee for unlimited tanning sessions, according to ABC News. The owner said she typically visits five times a week for 12 minutes in a standup booth. The owner vouched for Krentcil, saying that Anna waited outside the booth with other employees.

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Comments

[Robert Hale]

08:48 PM on 11/14/2012

Nutley

[smartgovtwhisperer]

01:11 AM on 09/01/2012

Whoever operated that tanning bed on a minor, needs to lose the license, job, etc. What if she opened her eyes in there an burned out her retinas?

[smartgovtwhisperer]

01:09 AM on 09/01/2012

That wierd psycho needs to be monitored and kept from bringing that girl near any salon. THe tanning beds will cook whats in your stomach. If you drink a raw egg, it will cook inside your stomach in a tanning bed, like a microwave. Light instead of sound, but cooking still.

[wra92]

06:53 PM on 06/10/2012

In her mugshot, is that a Moonpie? Looks kinda chocolatey in the pink shirt.

[addresses2me]

11:02 PM on 06/04/2012

Did you see her mug shot? WTH is that black ring around her lips? LOL

[luvgolfn]

08:25 PM on 06/04/2012

There is NO WAY that her color is real, it is not possible for a "white gal" to turn that type of color withouth "extra" enhancements and I'm not talking the UVA's or UVB's bulb enhancement...

[Jim Vaughn]

05:27 PM on 05/27/2012

I didn't know Al Jolson had a sister?

[Alessandra Fissinger]

12:38 PM on 05/25/2012

She looks like a homeless person, even the ones in Chicago are that dark from being out in sun so much.

[Lola Gonzales]

10:10 AM on 05/25/2012

OF COURSE THE SALON IS GONNA SAY THE KID DIDNT ENTER THE TANNING BOOTH! DUH.....

[radahada]

06:34 PM on 05/31/2012

DUH.........Moron

[RandomGuy101]

11:43 AM on 05/15/2012

Look at her!! She's melanoma incarnate! Why would you think that looks good??? o.o

[average77]

12:39 AM on 05/09/2012

I think its funny that she still has a husband and she was being interviewed by a black man, lol.

[Erin Mathis]

08:04 PM on 05/07/2012

im sorry but if i was the tanning salon owner, id refuse her no matter how much she paid. its like a bartender. he doesnt serve those who clearly dont need a drink. and she clearly CLEARLY doesnt need to bake.

[bluevalentine]

11:28 PM on 05/06/2012

This sweet little girl is five years old. I can easily see a little girl saying she was burned in a tanning bed if that is what she always sees her mother doing....even if she was burned by simply playing outside too long. The mother seems sweet and has a supportive husband. Innocent until proven guilty....at worst she is guilty of a poor decision, not a criminal act. This pale faced doll of a child is hardly abused in a tanning bed...look at her! She's perfectly complected:-) Precious and happy smile...she looks like a well loved little girl:-)
Innocent until proven guilty.
Certainly my non-medical opinion (worthless) about the mom....the dangers are obvious, but even more importantly...what is she lacking in her life that it is filled with this unhealthy addiction? I pray she finds a more fulfilling addiction:-) Plant a garden...so beneficial to the soul!

[goldy67]

08:29 AM on 05/06/2012

Back in the seventies, when I was a young kid, nobody knew about sunscreen (or maybe my parents didn't get the memo). They would let me play at the Jersey shore for hours in the sun. I would get blistering sunburns on my fair skin. Now, I have to get semi-annual skin checks to have the pre-cancerous moles scraped off of me. Now we know better. Even if this mom didn't take the kid into the tanning booth, she shouldn't let her kid get sunburned.

[gen230]

05:52 AM on 05/06/2012

The words 'pot' and 'kettle' come to mind and seem so poignantly apt for this story.