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\u201cTanfluencers\u201d have been touting the use of melanotan II\u2014which has been dubbed the \u201cBarbie peptide\u201d\u2014as a way of quickly getting a tan without the sun. But before you \u201cBarbie-cue\u201d your skin in such a manner to get darker, consider the potential risks\u2014such as rhabdomyolysis and melanoma\u2014of this medication that has not been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. (Photo: Getty)<\/p>\n
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You may have seen \u201ctanfluencers\u201d on social media pushing the use of melanotan II\u2014which has been dubbed the \u201cBarbie peptide\u201d\u2014as a way of quickly getting a tan without the sun. But before you \u201cBarbie-cue\u201d your skin in such a manner to get darker, consider the potential risks\u2014such as rhabdomyolysis and melanoma\u2014of this medication that has not been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. And think hard about what happened to a 41-year-old Scottish man who injected melanotan and then experienced a 22-hour unrelenting painful erection. Yes, that\u2019s right, 22 hours.<\/p>\n
How Does The \u2018Barbie Peptide\u2019 Work<\/p>\n
Melanotan II is known as the \u201cBarbie peptide\u201d because, one, it\u2019s a peptide\u2014which is a short chain of amino acids that can serve as a messenger in the body. And, two, it\u2019s being touted as a way to give you the lean, tanned look of a Barbie doll without ultraviolet radiation exposure. Such a look may seem enticing because who doesn\u2019t want to look like a Barbie doll, with a waist so narrow that it couldn\u2019t possibly house a normal-sized liver and intestines and an elongated neck that could give an ostrich a run for its money. <\/p>\n
Yes, a Barbie doll is not exactly natural and the same can be said about melanotan II. This synthetic peptide is designed to mimic a hormone that you should already have in your body\u2014namely alpha-melanocyte stimulating hormone or \u03b1-MSH. It\u2019s called \u201cmelanocyte stimulating\u201d because stimulate is what it does to melanocytes, the cells in your skin that produce various pigments\u2014known as melanin\u2014that give your skin its color. When \u03b1-MSH binds to melanocortin 1 receptors, it stimulates the production of melanosomes in melanocytes that in turn produces two types of pigments: eumelanin or pheomelanin. Injecting melanotan II under your skin can presumably do the same thing. <\/p>\n
The \u2018Barbie Peptide\u2019 Has Become Part Of ‘Tanmaxxing\u2019<\/p>\n
That\u2019s why certain \u201ctanfluencers\u201d\u2014which is a portmanteau of \u201ctan\u201d and \u201cinfleuncers\u201d\u2014have been touting melanotan II as part of the \u201ctanmaxxing\u201d arsenal. Back in May, I covered in Forbes this whole tanmaxxing social media trend,<\/a> which is about encouraging people to get deeper and darker tans. The argument for such tanning is that it will make you look leaner and more muscular\u2014sort of like what happens when you put a chicken on a rotisserie. But trying to get tanner through more UV light exposure can bring lot of dark, dark risks\u2014such as damaging your skin and in the process raising your risk of skin cancer. <\/p>\n At first blush, cancer may not seem to be a concern with using the \u201cBarbie peptide,\u201d since it can in theory get you darker without UV radiation. In fact, some tanfluencers are saying that taking melanotan II can give a “base tan” that will actually protect you from the sun. The reality, though, may be much more dark.<\/p>\n The \u2018Barbie Peptide\u2019 Could Raise Your Risk Of Melanoma<\/p>\n Playing around with your melanocytes in such a manner could be playing with fire. Just look at the case reports of people injecting themselves with melanotan and then having their moles subsequently get darker<\/a> or even developing melanoma<\/a>. Of course, case reports alone are not enough to establish a clear link between melanotan and cancer or quantify the risk. At the same time, though, there haven\u2019t been enough full studies of melanotan to establish its safety. That\u2019s why no forms of melanotan II\u2014whether it\u2019s the injectable or nasal spray versions\u2014 have been approved by the U.S. FDA for use. <\/p>\n Moreover, in a study of 29 users of Melanotan II published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology<\/a>, some users reported their skin turning a dull gray color. That may not be the color that you are aiming for unless you are following some kind of a #koalamaxxing trend. That same study found users to have experienced other side effects such as nausea, flushing and fatigue.<\/p>\n The \u2018Barbie Peptide\u2019 Could Lead To Rhabdomyolysis Or Renal Infarction<\/p>\n Depending on who you are, turning the color of a pigeon may not be that distressing. But other potential side effects such rhabdomyolysis should be. Rhabdomyolysis is where your muscles break down or basically disintegrate, as I\u2019ve detailed before in Forbes<\/a>. That obviously is not a good look. But it also life-threatening because the breaking down of muscle fibers release all sorts of muscle fiber components like potassium, phosphate, myoglobin, creatine kinase or urate into the bloodstream. These can overwhelm and damage your kidneys, leading to kidney failure. <\/p>\n Another potential concern with melanotan II use is renal infarction. A publication in CEN Case Reports <\/a>presented a case report of this. Renal infarction is when the flow of blood to your kidney gets blocked, leading to the death of kidney tissue. Depending on how much kidney tissue ends up being lost, this can be life-threatening as well. <\/p>\n The \u2018Barbie Peptide\u2019 Led To A 22-Hour Painful Erection<\/p>\n