Influencers call it The Barbie Drug, but experts are warning that the use of Melanotan-II has the potential to cause some serious side effects including melanoma.
Melanotan-II, which is often sold as a nasal spray, is a man-made copy of the ฮฑ-Melanocyte-stimulating hormone (ฮฑ-MSH) that is naturally found in our bodies and responsible for producing pigment.
It works on the skin cells that make colour and is naturally produced in the pituitary gland of the brain.
“In our skin, we have pigment cells and we have hormones that regulate the activity of those pigment cells. So what Melanotan-II does is mimic the action of those hormones and upregulate the activity of our pigment cells,” said Associate Professor Deshan Sebaratnam, who is a dermatologist at Liverpool Hospital and Conjoint Associate Professor at UNSW Medicine & Health.
“It means that our pigment cells produce more melanin and thatโs what gives you your tan.”
Influencer marketing of Melanotan-II promises a rapid tan without the need to spend long hours in the sun – along with other effects including weight loss.
While Melanotan-II is not approved for use in Australia by the Therapeutics Goods Administration (TGA), it is being marketed to Aussies on TikTok, Instagram and other social media platforms.
Medical experts from UNSW Sydney who are studying the effects of using Melanotan-II are warning that it can cause serious side effects, and potentially even cause melanoma.
“Youโre stimulating pigment cells with Melanotan-II. If you do that enough, you can cause abnormal proliferation of the cells,” said Dr John Frew, who is a dermatologist at Liverpool Hospital and Conjoint Senior Lecturer at UNSW Medicine & Health.
“And this can jumpstart the progression to the possible development of melanoma.”
As well as affecting pigment cells in the skin, the drug can bind to receptors in the brain and influence processes like appetite and sexual function.
โThere are a few strange neurological effects reported with Melanotan-II. Typically, the nausea, vomiting and facial flushing are more prominentโฆ There are also reports of priapism [prolonged erections] and yawning,โ Dr Frew said.
The Therapeutics Goods Administration is currently working with social media and digital platforms to address allegedly unlawful advertising of the product to Australians. You can find out more by visiting their website tga.gov.au.
