We're the Tanorexics
Experts say that the illegal tanning drug which is injected into the skin has serious health implications. Georgina Horton speaks to one family who are happy to risk it for a golden glow
It’s grim outside. the party season is almost upon us and we all look a little pasty. But how far would you go for a fake tan?
Would you inject yourself with an illegal drug? One that hasn’t been tested properly and has been to linked to nausea, high blood pressure and panic attacks?
Lancashire based sisters stacey, 27, Nicola, 23, Charlotte Boardman, 20, and their cousin sian Rowe, 21, do it day after day. they aren’t bothered about the urgent warnings issued by health experts.
Indeed, so desperate is needlephobic sian to get her tanning fix, she visited a needle exchange programme and asked someone to inject her there.
The drug is called Melanotan, a synthetic hormone that has the chemical name afamelanotide. As well as darkening the skin, it is also believed to boost libido and cut appetite, which is why it has been nicknamed the “Barbie drug”.
It is unlicensed for use in the UK but it can be obtained online illegally and under the counter in some gyms and beauty salons.
Melanotan comes in a powdered form and has to be mixed with sterile water before being injected, usually into the stomach. It works by stimulating the skin’s melanocytic cells to produce the body’s own melanin, the dark pigment needed for a tan.
The more of it you have, the browner you become. In tests, dogs injected with Melanotan grew jet-black fur.
With daily injections, a tan develops within seven to 10 days and can be topped up or maintained with weekly jabs.
Melanotan, which costs around £35 for a month’s supply, has never passed the necessary safety checks or completed long-term clinical trials for this use.
Although doctors know how it darkens the skin, there have been no major studies to assess whether it can induce
malignancy or cause undesirable changes to skin pigmentation.
Anecdotal evidence on the websites of companies selling Melanotan suggests that negative effects could include high blood pressure, hyperpigmentation such as new or darker freckles and moles as well as panic attacks.
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is warning people not to use it because of the potential dangers to short and long-term health.
“Don’t be fooled into thinking that Melanotan offers a shortcut to a safer and more even tan. the safety of these products is unknown,” says the watchdog’s David Carter.
Stacey, Nicola, Charlotte and Sian are aware of the warnings but they aren’t bothered. they have been taking Melanotan on a regular basis for the past three months and they love their new bronzed look.
Stacey, a former trainee nurse who owns a beauty salon in Rochdale, heard of it through a client. “she looked gorgeous and her tan was so even. When she told me she’d been using an injection which made her skin darker, I couldn’t believe it.”
She searched for the product online and bought it off a friend via the website Facebook. “I decided to spend £35 on a kit, which contained 10 syringes and swabs. this gave me enough for 15 injections.
Over the next 10 days I injected myself every night before I went to bed. As if by magic, I always woke to find my skin darker.”
For the first few days, she also lost her appetite, experienced nausea and hot flushes. Nevertheless, she pressed on. “the side effects only lasted a few days and once they wore off the benefits were huge,” says stacey. “I was golden all over, apart from the palms of my hands and soles of my feet, which don’t tan. I received more compliments than I had for years.”
After 10 days, she reduced her dose to once a week to maintain her new colour. stacey, who has a 16-month-old daughter Kyrah, is unperturbed by rumours that Melanotan can make women infertile.
“If I hear something that really stands up medically then I will think twice. But until then I’ll carry on injecting.”
Despite experiencing similar side effects, Nicola also continues to use Melanotan. “I was nervous about injecting myself but I lay on the sofa, grabbed my stomach and stuck the needle in,” she says.
“A couple of minutes later I felt hot and flushed and very sick. the nauseous feeling didn’t wear off until the next
morning but I decided to plough on. there’s no way I’ll ever stop using it now.”
Sian, who initially had someone at the needle exchange programme administer her jabs, is also undeterred. “Nothing I’ve heard has put me off using the injections. But if I do hear something about it causing a lifelong illness, it would
make me have second thoughts.”
Melanotan’s effect on pale-skinned people, such as redheads or blondes, is also uncertain. those who are prone to
freckling may find that Melanotan increases the number of freckles and also makes them darker.
Charlotte describes her natural skin tone as “whiter than white” and for two months she injected every day. “I think it’s the best product ever invented,” she says.
Bevis Man, a spokesman for the British skin Foundation, disagrees.
“People may think that this drug is a safe alternative to sunbeds and sunbathing because it doesn’t require UV light.
“They may even think it offers sun protection. However, the protection offered by a natural tan is minimal and when it comes to an injectable, unlicensed drug, we have no idea what side effects it may incur.
“There are other ways to get a tan without the risks of using an unregulated product, so until it gets the all clear for use on humans, stick to spray tans and self-tanning lotions instead.”
