Magic tanning injections that make all your bronzed dreams come true might sound like the perfect addition to your summer plans, but don’t go there.
Melanotan, an artificial hormone, can take a range of different forms, like a nasal spray, but Cancer Research UK says injections are its most common method of delivery.
These tanning injections work by stimulating the cells in your skin to make them produce melanin, which is what gives things like hair and skin darker pigments.
The jabs have some devoted fans out there, but variations of the drug, melanotan I and melanotan II (the latter of which being the most popular) are illegal to sell in the UK.
They’re also dangerous.
Dr Emma Wedgeworth, consultant dermatologist and British Skin Foundation spokesperson, tells us, ‘In reality, we just don’t know the full extent of the possible side effects of these medications because they are unregulated, and they are being used in an unlicensed and illicit way.
‘Medications used appropriately are subjected to a whole system of surveillance to ensure safety, but when medicines are taken illicitly we simply can’t quantify or identify all of the risks.
‘In addition, we cannot vouch for the purity of the product and there may be other, unsafe constituents.’
So what’s the problem with melanotan?
‘The tanning sprays and injections work by stimulating our pigment-producing cells (melanocytes) to produce the pigment responsible for skin darkening (melanin),’ Dr Emma explains.
‘One of the major concerns we have is if the pigment cells are over-stimulated or if an individual has an underlying tendency.
‘This could increase the risk of one of the most deadly types of skin cancers – melanoma. This has been reported with the use of melanotan, alongside dramatic changes in skin moles.’
But that’s not the only danger associated with the drug.
‘In addition,’ says Dr Emma, ‘melanotan II has been known to result in muscle breakdown and kidney failure, as well as erectile problems.
‘Injections can also increase risk of blood-borne infections, particularly as needles may be dirty or shared.‘
All in all, you’re better swerving your tan habit altogether.
As Cancer Research UK puts it, ‘there’s no such thing as a safe UV tan’, so steer clear of sunbeds, jabs and nasal sprays, and stick to the fake tan.
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