Is this Britain's biggest tanorexic? 19-yr-old splashes out £1,000 a MONTH on sunbed sessions - using four different salons a day PICS

A young woman has become so obsessed with achieving the perfect tan that she has allowed it to take over both her life and finances.

Unable to rely on the British weather for her desired bronzed look Hannah Norman spends £1,000 a month on her habit, applying layers of fake tan as soon as she wakes up in the morning and visiting up to four tanning salons a day.

The 19-year-old, from Cwmbran, South Wales, is forced to visit so many beauty parlours as the maximum time that each salon allows for tanning is 15 minutes. Nowhere near enough time for Hannah to achieve her extreme bronze shade.

Despite having already spent 40 minutes under various sunbeds, Hannah, who works in a clothing store, then returns home to top up her tan with bronzer.  

Single Hannah first started building up her tan when she was just 14, despite the fact the legal age for using the sunbeds is 18.

She would go along to salons with older sister Claire, and claims to have never been asked for ID.

Although her parents caught her sneaking out of the house to visit the booths she continued to go, and by the age of 16 was hooked on looking as brown as she could. 

Hannah says that she is not happy unless she performs her tanning ritual each day.

'I try and go to about three or four places a day for 40 minutes so I can maximise my tanning chances.'

Hannah says that she has become such a regular at some salons that they have even started to provide her with a discount. 

'Everyone in the shops know me, they charge around £1 a minute but I get discounted mate's rates.

'There is a hairdressers not too far from my house that start asking me where I am when I don't go in.'

The obsessive bronzer squeezes her tanning in wherever she can, beginning her beauty regime from the moment she gets up. 

Scroll down for video 

'I put fake tan on as soon as I wake up, then if I can I go for one session on a sunbed, then when I'm at work I use my breaks to go for more.'

Hannah often squeezes bronzing sessions into her lunch breaks at her part-time job 

Hannah says that she applies a layer of fake tan as soon as she wakes up in the morning 

The shop assistant is often teased for her appearance with people calling names such as 'Oompa Loompa'

The image-conscious teen is so hooked on sunbeds she even gets anxious and starts to feel down if she misses just one session.

'If I see somebody in the street who's darker than me I get jealous and envy them and wish I looked like that.'

Hannah says that she feels more confident the browner she is. 

Britain's ultimate tanorexic spends £1000 A MONTH on tanning

Hannah is noticeably darker than her friends who appear not to favour the fake tan look

Hannah attempted to stop tanning briefly but says that her self-esteem completely dropped

'It makes me feel happier when I'm darker, I feel better in myself. It is how I like to look. It's my thing.

'People compliment me all the time when I have a tan, they tell me I have a nice glow. If I don't go on sunbeds I start to feel down and anxious.'

Hannah has learnt to ignore negative comments that she receives and says that as long as she is being teased it means someone else is left alone

Hannah tried to give up the habit two years ago, but after just a week began to become depressed at her pale skin.

'I tried to give up completely but it just couldn't. I could see other people with their tans and I just thought being pale is not me. Being tanned is just part of me.'

Hannah, who lives at home with her parents took on her part-time job at the clothes shop to fund the habit. 

She currently earns £1,500 a month with a £1,000 going towards her tanning addiction. 

'I do spend around £1,000 a month on it all, I still live at home and I give my mum about £200 a month in rent.

'It doesn't leave much to live on, I don't have much money to go out and buy new clothes, but it's worth it to have a tan.'

The 19-year-old's devotion to her skin tone has not gone unnoticed with Hannah often being teased for looking like a real-life Oompa Loompa.

However Hannah is not bothered by the negatives that come with her constant tanning, whether that is the name calling or dry skin, she is happy with her appearance.

'It doesn't bother me when people say things to me, I let it go over my head. People call me "Oompa Loompa" and shout out, "you've been Tangoed!" but I love the way I look.

'Also, it they are taking about me then they are leaving someone else alone, which is always a positive.

'My skin gets really dry, especially on my chest and neck, unless I moisturise all the time. It can ache if I don't do something about it. I always have moisturiser with me. I use it as much as I can, there is a pot in every bag.'

Hannah's extreme tan appears even more dramatic when she stands next to her best friend Elizabeth Sullivan, a self-confessed goth who prides herself on being pale.

Hannah's best friend Elizabeth is a self-confessed goth who whitens her skin to look the opposite of her pal

The single 19-year-old says that by using sunbeds so often she has been left with dry skin that can be painful

Elizabeth, 19, even spreads on a special white cream to ensure she is the complete opposite of her pal.

'Elizabeth is quite Gothic really, we are the absolute opposite ends of the scale.

'I think it's a bit of a shock to people when we go out because we are so different.

'She's used to it now, when I'm sat there adding fake tan she has this special cream from the internet to make sure she is really pale.

'I've tried so many times to get her to put fake tan on but she won't have it!'

THE RISKS OF USING SUNBEDS AS A TEENAGER

Teenagers who use sunbeds are nearly twice as likely to be diagnosed with the most dangerous form of skin cancer as those who have never been to a tanning salon, a study has found.

Research has shown that the earlier sunbed use begins, the greater the risk of developing a deadly melanoma before the age of 40.

It shows that those who start before they turn 20 are 88 per cent more likely to be diagnosed with a deadly melanoma than people who have never used a sunbed. 

Studies suggests that people up to the age of 25 may be more sensitive to the dangers of UV radiation, which is emitted from sunbeds at more intense levels than found in natural ­daylight.

Of sunbed users diagnosed with skin cancer between the ages of 18 and 29, some 76 per cent were likely to have developed the condition as a direct result of using UV booths.

But for those diagnosed around ten years later, up to the age of 39, only 13 per cent of cases could be attributed to sunbeds.

The Cadogan Clinic in London. 

MELANOMAS: CHECK YOUR MOLES

A good way to tell the difference between a normal mole and a melanoma is to use the ABCDE checklist:

A stands for asymmetrical: Melanomas have two very different halves and are an irregular shape.

B stands for border: Unlike a normal mole, melanomas have a notched or ragged border.

C stands for colours: Melanomas will be a mix of two or more colours.

D stands for diameter: Unlike most moles, melanomas are larger than 6mm (1/4 inch) in diameter.

E stands for enlargement or evolution: A mole that changes characteristics and size over time is more likely to be a melanoma.

Information taken from www.nhs.uk