WHEN model Ava Louise visited her regular tanning salon, she’d hoped to return home with a bronzed glow.
Instead, she contracted a fungal infection which left her with bald patches and oozing scabs.
Ava Louise contracted ringworm while using a sunbed at a professional salonmediadrumimages
The OnlyFans model later passed the fungal infection onto her catmediadrumimages
The 24-year-old later passed her ringworm onto her cat, leaving her “traumatised”.
Ava, 24, said: “I’d never even heard of it.
“I had rashes all over my body in the shape of rings.
“They started to pus and were very uncomfortable.
“The ringworm eventually spread to my scalp causing baldness and scars all over my body. I’m very traumatised.”
Ava, from New Jersey, US, visited the salon in Hoboken for her usual 12-minute blast in April.
When she flipped over, she noticed she had a small rash under her right boob.
Initially, she thought nothing of it and assumed it was merely from the heat.
But it rapidly started to spread over the next few days, and a trip to the doctor confirmed she had ringworm – a fungal infection that causes a rash which can be scaly, dry, swollen and itchy.
Ava and medics believe she was infected from a sunbed that was likely not sanitised effectively.
She was left with scars all over her body and bald patches on her head, leaving her terrified that her precious locks will never grow back.
The OnlyFans star, who said she is also psychologically scarred, added: “I feel awful. I’m devastated.”
To make matters worse, Ava’s cat also contracted ringworm – resulting in a hefty vets bill and a whole load more grief.
“It caused a lot of distress in my household,” she said.
Ava was prescribed medication and ointment to try and calm her symptoms and rid her of the infection.
She also brought the cleanliness issue to the attention of the salon staff, who allegedly apologised but offered no compensation.
The ringworm spread to my scalp causing baldness and scars all over my body. I’m very traumatised.
Ava Louise
“This happened because of how hot sunbeds get,” Ava added.
“People sweat in them and it’s a good environment for ringworm to live in.
“This is a sanitary issue. Either the salon didn’t sanitise the bed at all or they didn’t do it properly.
“I used this place for two years but now I only use stand-up beds.”
But she said the worst part is how her ordeal has impacted her career.
Ava normally makes a living selling raunchy pictures and videos online, but her OnlyFans work has dried up.
“I’ve lost money because I haven’t been able to post sexy content like I usually do,” she said.
“The ringworm was on very intimate parts of my body.”
Ava said she is now covered in scarsmediadrumimages
The online star said she has lost money due to being unable to post sexy contentmediadrumimages
mediadrumimagesShe is also experiencing hair loss, with a bald patch on her head[/caption]
mediadrumimagesThe rash started under Ava’s boob[/caption]
mediadrumimagesAva has not been back to that salon[/caption]
mediadrumimagesThe rash quickly spread to her scalp[/caption]
mediadrumimagesAva blames an allegedly unsanitary sunbed[/caption]
The dangers of sunbeds
UV radiation from sunbeds can damage the DNA in your skin cells, and over time this can build up to cause skin cancer.
Regular use increases your risk of melanoma skin cancer – a type that can spread to other areas of the body – by up to 20 per cent.
“You can’t always see the damage that UV rays cause as it builds up slowly,” Cancer Research UK says.
“But every time you use a sunbed you are damaging your skin, increasing the risk of both melanoma skin cancer and visible skin damage.
“There is no such thing as healthy UV tanning.”
Source: Cancer Research UK