- What are sunless tanning injections and are they a safer option to get that bronzed look?
- Why do people prefer tan injections over other fake tan products?
- What exactly is Melanotan and how does the tanning solution work?
- Safety and side effects of tanning injections
- Is Melanotan the only option for tanning injections?
- The verdict on Melanotan
You may have heard of the term ‘Melanotan’ which is the name of a popular brand of tanning injections, however, a number of other companies are manufacturing similar products under a number of different names (including Nu-tan, Betatan etc), each with very similar ingredients, uses and side effects.
Melanotan, also known as ‘MT’, ‘Mel’ and even our personal favourite, ‘The Barbie Drug’, has received much media attention since warnings regarding the safety of the untested, unregulated and unlicensed product were issued in 2008.
Nevertheless, gyms, beauty salons and online stores are all jumping onto the ‘tan-wagon’ of tan injections for a number of reasons, the most prominent being that the injectable tan does not have an odour or wash off and is a more long-term solution to keeping that bronzed and radiant look. So, you don’t have to worry about topping up your spray tan, peeling or flaking as with this product your tan will last (as long as you keep getting the injections of course).
The added benefits (besides the darkening of your skin) to a number of people using injectable tanning products are advertising as being the following:
- Suppressing appetite
- Increasing lean body mass
- Increasing fat loss
- Increasing libido
Based on the promotional information, tan injections as a form of sunless tanning is understandably a very tempting proposition. After all, getting that summer glow without roasting in the sun for hours or having to exfoliate and then play personal twister to apply a strange smelling goop that rubs off on the towels, sheets and even the toilet seat is more than just a little appealing. Factor in the possibility that you’ll also be leaner and feel sexier and you’re probably already googling to find a distributor.
The issue, however, arises with the fact that there has been very little testing conducted on these products to evaluate their quality, safety or long-term effects on the body (and the severity of these).
Also, bear in mind, when you stop using tanning injections your tan will fade completely within four to eight weeks. The above-mentioned benefits will also soon start to disappear. As with the side effects of the drug, the benefits have not been clinically tested.