Tanning mom Patricia Krentcil says she’s gone a month without tanning, and it’s taking some getting used to.

“I feel weird and pale,” she said. “I’ve had moments where I’ve felt like, ‘I need to be tan.’ And I did all the spray tans and lotions and creams, too — anything to get dark. Once a doctor told me to stop tanning. But I didn’t listen to him. I wanted to be dark. I like looking like I just got back from vacation.”

Before:

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After:

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Image courtesy Essex Co. Prosecutor’s office/CBS

Krentcil came under fire earlier this year when her 6-year old daughter told friends at school that her sunburn came from going to a tanning bed with her mom. And although Krentcil hasn’t been shy about voicing her pro-tanning opinions, she says she would never do that to her child, who is a redhead and very fair skinned.

“I would never. She comes into the room with me, but not the booth,” she said. “She plays with her Barbie dolls while I tan.”

Krentcil claims to be done with tanning for the most part, although she says she’ll probably hit the beds every now and then to keep a bit of color on her cheeks. She definitely looks much healthier since we first began seeing her in the news; not looking like a just-polished loafer can only be a good thing. And although she hasn’t said exactly what caused her change of heart–if a doctor’s warnings don’t do it, one would think nothing else would–it could be because of the extreme scrutiny and media attention she’s been getting, which hasn’t been very flattering. Unless you count Kristen Wiig’s impression of her on SNL. That was pretty good.

Image credit: In Touch Magazine