{"id":3443,"date":"2022-04-01T04:10:24","date_gmt":"2022-04-01T04:10:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/linksus.net\/melanotan-ii-tanning-injections-nasal-sprays-harmful-to-health-medical-news-today\/"},"modified":"2022-04-01T04:10:24","modified_gmt":"2022-04-01T04:10:24","slug":"melanotan-ii-tanning-injections-nasal-sprays-harmful-to-health-medical-news-today","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/linksus2.linksus.net\/index.php\/2022\/04\/01\/melanotan-ii-tanning-injections-nasal-sprays-harmful-to-health-medical-news-today\/","title":{"rendered":"Melanotan II: Tanning injections, nasal sprays harmful to health – Medical News Today"},"content":{"rendered":"

Some social media influencers have recently been promoting tanning products containing melanotan II, an illegal artificial hormone that can accelerate tanning. These products come in the form of injections and nasal sprays.
Authorities in multiple countries have issued safety warnings surrounding melanotan II\u2019s use due to its link to conditions such as skin cancer<\/a><\/hl-trusted-source> and kidney infarction<\/a><\/hl-trusted-source>.
To understand more about melanotan II, Medical News Today<\/em> spoke with four experts about the risks of using the hormone, what regulators could do to prevent its usage, and safe alternatives.
\u201cMelanotan II is a synthetic melanotropic peptide that is not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and is not approved for human use,\u201d said Dr. Anand N. Rajpara<\/a>, associate professor of Dermatology at the University of Kansas.
\u201cIt is either injected into the skin or inhaled through the nose. It works by stimulating our melanocytes to produce the skin darkening pigment melanin,\u201d he explained.
In conversation with MNT<\/em>, Dr. Faraz Mahmood Ali<\/a>, from the Department of Dermatology and Wound Healing at Cardiff University, the United Kingdom, listed several side effects of the drug:
\u201cFurthermore, there are long-term concerns about the increased risk<\/a><\/hl-trusted-source> of developing new moles and skin cancers<\/a><\/hl-trusted-source> such as melanoma,\u201d said Dr. Ali. <\/strong>
Dr. Elena Minakova<\/a>, assistant professor of pediatrics at Washington University School of Medicine, added that setmelanotide<\/a>, a recently FDA-approved drug for obesity-associated genetic syndromes, works similarly to melanotan II.
Its side effects, she said, thus overlap with those for melanotan II and also include:
When asked what regulators could do to prevent people from using melanotan II, Dr. Faraz said \u201c[t]here needs to be increased awareness regarding the potential harms of using melanotan, especially for the youth who may be subject to misinformation.\u201d
\u201cSocial media and other popular news and media outlets need to do more to stamp out false or misleading content<\/strong> [while] allowing experts to disseminate scientifically-accurate information,\u201d he added. <\/strong>
\u201cMore studies and case reports are necessary to ascertain long-term unknown harms and side-effects. People wanting to consider tanning options should do so by discussing options with a dermatologist,\u201d he explained.
MNT<\/em> also spoke with Prof. Tony Cass<\/a>, professor of chemical biology at Imperial College London, the U.K., who was involved in a recent analysis of 10 tanning kits.
While Prof. Cass and his colleagues expected to find around 10 ingredients in a licensed medication, they were shocked to discover that some of the products analyzed contained over 100 unidentified ingredients, alongside melanotan II.
\u201cWith unregulated\/ illegal products, the label has no information, and as our analysis showed there were many other constituents, [and] there is no way for the consumer to find out what these are,\u201d Prof. Cass told MNT<\/em>. \u201cRegulation is very difficult in this case, especially as internet influencer-based promotion is in any case difficult to control.\u201d<\/strong>
\u201cMaking consumers aware may help, although as we see with smoking, even lurid warnings don\u2019t necessarily work. Internet companies [\u2026] could use AI [artificial intelligence software] to put a warning on the screen, but I\u2019m not sure they have the will to do so,\u201d he added.
\u201cWe already know about the damaging effects of chronic sun exposure, including skin cancers and premature aging. Therefore, this method of tanning should always be avoided,\u201d Dr. Ali emphasized.
\u201c\u2018Sunless tanning\u2019 options are the safest to consider in the long-term which include spray-on bronzers and stainers. One should always consult a dermatologist to discuss potential risks, side effects, and benefits prior to embarking on any new treatments.\u201d
\u2013 Dr. Faraz Mahmood Ali
Dr. Rajpara agreed that spray-on options could be an alternative:
\u201cSunless tanners and sprays containing DHA (dihydroxyacetone) are generally considered safe as long as you are avoiding inhalation and eye contact. However, they offer zero sun protection, so sunscreen is still a must.\u201d<\/strong>
Researchers used a small molecule to darken cultured human skin while bypassing sun exposure and the damage caused by ultraviolet rays.<\/a>
Whether aiming to get rid of a suntan, tan lines, or a self-tan, various home remedies can help fade the color. Learn different methods on how to\u2026<\/a>
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source<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Some social media influencers have recently been promoting tanning products containing melanotan II, an illegal artificial hormone that can accelerate tanning. These products come in the form of injections and nasal sprays.Authorities in multiple countries have issued safety warnings surrounding melanotan II\u2019s use due to its link to conditions such as skin cancer and kidney […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":869,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/linksus2.linksus.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3443"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/linksus2.linksus.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/linksus2.linksus.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/linksus2.linksus.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/869"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/linksus2.linksus.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3443"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/linksus2.linksus.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3443\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/linksus2.linksus.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3443"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/linksus2.linksus.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3443"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/linksus2.linksus.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3443"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}