A 22 year old woman who claims she "can't live without" sunbeds and illegal tanning injections has revealed she often gets mistaken for a different race as a result of her extreme tan.
Hannah Tittensor, from Belfast, told how she first got addicted to fake tan as a teenager but ditched the beauty products in favour of tanning beds because it makes her "complexion a lot nicer and glowing".
The beauty therapy student defended her decision to combine sunbed sessions with illegal tanning injections.
She said: "Other girls say they can't live without having their nails done and I can't live without having a tan.
"Pure and simple, it makes me happy."
Like a lot of women, Hannah first experimented with temporary self-tanning products but became increasingly frustrated with their short-term results."When I was younger I always wore fake tan and I hated it because it always washes off and goes patchy and I hate the smell," she continued.
But Hannah's love of tan has developed into a full-blown addiction after achieving an "amazing" glow during a holiday to Turkey in 2015.
She added: "It makes my complexion a lot nicer, like glowing.
"Your skin looks a lot better. That's what I like about it.
"All girls that I see on Instagram and all girls that I know get a spray tans so why not do sunbeds instead of wearing make-up on your body?"After being introduced to sunbeds by her boyfriend Ben, Hannah now goes into the booth three times a week for 15 minute sessions.
However, it was actually her brother who introduced the pair to illegal tanning injections which contain melanotan: a synthetic hormone which alters the melanin levels in the skin and allows people to go darker when using sunbeds.
Describing her experience with the daily injection she shares with her boyfriend, Hannah said: "The only side effect is the first few days of taking it you feel sick and it sorta suppresses your appetite.
"Some people would say that that's a good thing."
What are tanning injections?
- Some people use melanotan injections to change the colour of their skin, but they are illegal in the UK.
- The synthetic hormone works by stimulating pigment cells in the skin, causing them to produce more of the melanin that gives skin its darker colour.
- The NHS warns against use of the injections as it “not undergone the stringent safety and effectiveness testing that all medicines have to undergo before they can be licensed for use.”
- There are two forms available, Melanotan I and II, which are diluted in water before being injected.
- The injections have not been tested for human use and there are possible side effects and dangers that could occur.
- Some side-effects can include acne, stomach pains, eye disorders, sickness and even heart problems.
While Hannah labelled the drug "harmless", her boyfriend Ben added: "I don't know much about the health risks of the [tan injection] but I haven't seen any really bad things happen so far.
"No one in my family has cancer. So to me, I see cancer as genetic so I don't really worry about myself but sometimes I would worry about Han because she does more minutes on the sunbed than me."
However, Hannah's tan has become so extreme that she's even been mistaken for a black woman online.
"People attack me online," Hannah added. "If you type 'blackface' on Instagram or even on Google, my name will come up."Hannah insists that she's not actually trying to change race.
She continued: "People say I was trying to be a black woman and try and switch races and stuff just because I'm tanning.
"I don't care. These people don't actually know me." CONTINUE READING
SOURCE: THE SUN
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