Researchers are starting to get a closer view of the various gray-market peptides making the rounds on the back of the \u201clooksmaxxing\u201d trend, and it isn\u2019t looking good.<\/p>\n
In a new interview with Axios<\/a>, Anthony Rossi, a dermatological surgeon at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, warned that the substance \u201cMelanotan II\u201d isn\u2019t exactly the best thing you can put in your body.<\/p>\n Also known as the \u201cBarbie drug,\u201d melanotan II is an unregulated, synthetic hormone believed to stimulate pigment cells and encourage melanin production. It\u2019s a popular product for folks looking for a shortcut to a golden glow, but as Rossi explains, it\u2019s much more trouble than it\u2019s worth.<\/p>\n Not only does it require constant injections to work, but according to Rossi it can be outright harmful, even leading to skin cancer in some cases.<\/p>\n \u201cPeople who inject melanotan, their moles start to change,\u201d the surgeon told Axios, adding that he\u2019s had to remove cancerous moles from at least one melanotan II user. \u201cI don\u2019t really see a medical benefit of it at all.\u201d<\/p>\n While studies are still way behind the market as far injectable peptides are concerned, evidence is growing that melanotan II probably isn\u2019t the best thing to inject into your bloodstream.<\/p>\n For example, a 2012 case study<\/a> tells the story of a 16-year old girl who used melanotan II in conjunction with a UV tanning bed, resulting in the intensification of over 50 moles on her skin. At least one of them had to be surgically removed, the case study explains, as it was slowly enlarging, likely as a result of the injectible tanning treatment.<\/p>\n