Melanotan II

Melanotan II, often called MT-II, is a peptide. It was made at the University of Arizona in the 1980s.

Your body has a hormone that tells your skin to make brown color (melanin). MT-II copies it, but stronger. So your skin gets darker. It also touches other body signals, which is why some men get more sex drive from it.

It is sold underground as the "tan injection." It is not approved by the FDA, and it is not approved in any country. People buy it "for research only" and inject it themselves.

Most people use it to get a tan without the sun.

Some men use it for sex drive, with the tan as a bonus.

If sex drive is the real goal, there is a related drug called PT-141 that is FDA-approved for low desire and has a cleaner safety record. That is the better path.

It does tan you. That part is real.

But there are zero real human trials. The dose people use comes from old rodent work and tiny human tests from the 1990s. There is no proven safe dose anywhere.

So yes, it works as a tanner. The problem is what else it may do, which we cover below.

People take it as a shot under the skin. They mix a powder with liquid first.

There is no tested, safe dose. The amounts people use come from old rodent studies and tiny 1990s human tests, not a real trial. Folks often "load" with small daily doses until the tan builds, then go to a lower upkeep dose.

We do not suggest this. There is no safe number to give you.

The serious stuff

This is the big one. There are published reports of people growing new moles, having moles change, and at least 3 cases of melanoma (a dangerous skin cancer) after using MT-II. That is because it wakes up the skin's color cells, which are the cells that can turn into cancer.

It also raises blood pressure and affects the heart in some people. If you have heart problems or high blood pressure, skip it.

Do not use it if you or your family has had melanoma or lots of odd moles. If you use it at all, get full-body skin checks for life.

The common stuff

Common side effects are feeling sick to your stomach, flushing, and erections in men. Talk to a real doctor first. We are not your doctor.

Here are the ways people get it, from safest to riskiest. None are great.

• Brand. None exists. It was never approved anywhere. (Its approved cousin is PT-141 / Vyleesi.)
• Compounded. Real pharmacies will not make it, because of the cancer reports. Not a real option.
• Research-only (RUO). This is the whole market. About $25–$60 a month. Sold "for research only," so no one promises what is in the vial.
• Gray market (overseas raw). Even cheaper, about $4–$8 a month. No lab report, no rules.

A real warning on quality: RUO vials are often 30 to 50 percent off what the label says. So you cannot even be sure of your dose. Ask for a COA with a mass spectrometry test. If the report only shows an "IR" test, treat that as no test at all.