Woman quit Melanotan II after two weeks due to completely unexpected side effect
Infamous synthetic peptide Melanotan II, which is banned in the UK, had a bizarre effect on one women's hair.
Despite causing a deeper darkening of moles (and creating new moles); severe nausea, high blood pressure, flu-like symptoms, dangerously prolonged erections, and making skin cancers way harder to identify, cosmetic consumers are still using Melanotan II as a way of gaining a tan without the need to sit in the sun for hours on end.
Injectable and sprayable, it stimulates melanin production in human skin and has left many people regretting their choices.
One such person is Reddit user @Temporary-Peanut6707, who shared her concerning experience with the stuff earlier this month.
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Accompanied by three pictures of herself, which illustrate the work done by Melanotan II on her scalp and face, she wrote: "I just wanted to share my experience as I think it's very interesting and could maybe show awareness to this side effect of MT-2.
"I was on MT-2 for about 2/3 weeks but stopped because I noticed my copper hair turning black. It started on my body hair then my head hair. It took about 3/4 to turn back normal again.
"I'm posting as when I started MT-2 I had no idea this was going to happen (I know I know, do better research). My hair has finally started growing back copper and now I have a band of brown that I'm hoping my hair dress can fix," she revealed.
This insight caused many fellow Redditors to chime in with their tales of Melanotan II-caused woe — proving just how wide scale its strange effects are.
"Not a fan of MT2 turned my lips black/purple," one person shared. "Definitely works tans pretty fast and good at a low dose for me but definitely not worth how it made my lips look."
"Mt2 is awesome in the sense that it actually works very well," another caveated. "I didn't have sides but I got the purple spots on my lips. I literally used the pep for 5 days. Damn thing changed my race."
Meanwhile, a pharmacist made their presence known in the Reddit thread too, labelling the Melanotan II community 'wild'.
For some though, the attraction of Melanotan II isn't about to fade (likewise those unbelievable tans).
So, dermatologist and content creator Dr Dustin Portela wants users to know about all the associated risks that come with taking it — the triggering of potentially hazardous moles being the most common.
"If you have existing moles or freckles, they will get darker. And there are case reports of people developing melanoma while taking melanotan," he said.
"I'm not encouraging its use, if you're doing it, it's at your own risk, but get checked by a dermatologist.
"Peptides are definitely not for everybody, and remember, this is not FDA-approved for any indication. Most people are buying it from unregulated websites where the product is being made in a foreign country, and you can't guarantee the safety or purity of the product."
We all appreciate a quick fix, but putting your health in harm's way seems a bit drastic just for a bit of pigmentation gratification. Go on holiday, guys...
Dan Seddon