True but there are not many options with botox are there, so if it was something that the individual felt strongly about they only really have that option. Where as with tanning there are so many options, spray tan, sunbed, manaul tan, you can even purchase it yourself and D.I.Y it! This is what I meant, so many options therefore why would you choose the barbaric one?

All of course my own little opinion

This posting has a great possibility of becoming very interesting and informative and it would be great if those that wish to air their off topic personnel gripes do so eleswhere..perhaps to the posting on such subject matter which has been miraculously bumped up earlier today by one of the guilty parties.

Clearly this forum is one of constructive professional debate

This specific topic,due to the nature of the applied treatment, is one which may be destine to raise controversy and therefore it is essential that it is discussed by us adults in an adult manner.

Sorry back to the topic

Putting aside opinion's for a moment I do wonder as to what the stance is being taken by Trading standards here in the UK as well as those in the rest of Europe and beyond.

As we all know every country is entitled to and does implement its own unique view on such matters..like ear candles etc (including the European countries..which despite Brussels does in fact differ considerably from country to country.)

If, as has been described earlier in this thread the ingredients are introduced into the body by way of injection would that not make it an invasive treatment and as such I would have thought the the sale of such devices would require meeting certain guidelines.

Clearly what one does in the confines of there own home is one matter however what one does as a chargeable service to the general public is completely another...even when it comes to retailing.

It may just be worthwhile contacting trading standards for their take on this..

Hey Everyone,

This thread really interested me as my boyfriend is a biochemist and mentioned the trials of this drug to me a couple of years ago as he had heard it in his work travels. It also interested because I am Australian an I found it funny that people think it's popular over here (no offence meant, but people also think we have kangaroo's running in our backyards ;p haha). In fact no-one I know or have heard of (and I live in Sydney and have worked in the city for most of my career) has used this drug for tanning purposes.

So I rang the boyfriend whilst reading the thread to see what the lo-down was on these tanning injections. According to him they are in fact not yet approved for aesthetic use and the sites that are selling them have to be doing it illegally or doing something to get through some loopholes because the injections are as yet only approved for therapeutic use. The injections were not developed to protect us from the harsh sun hehe (sorry but I can just picture the government having an injections created and lines of orange looking children lining up to have their monthly melanin increasing injection to protect them from the sun ) but as a treatment for people suffering with albinism. That is why at the moment they are only supposed to be available with a prescription from the doctor and for people who have albinism.

From what my boyfriend has heard on the scientific end of things is that they are still doing research and further developments to create a version of the drug (or at the least to approve the drug) for aesthetic use, and the likelihood is that a safer, easier to use version will eventually come out in the next couple of years. He was a bit worried that people were using it for vainties sake because it can take time for things to come up in trials and show longer term consequences. So better to wait and see in my opinion.. definately stick to the spray tans!

my first thoughts on this when i read the side affects were wow just what i need

Decreased appetite AND increased libido?.......where do I sign up? - my husband would be one happy chappy !!!!!

however on a more serious note, injecting yourself is one serious issue and one that could end up if not done correctly and H&S etc etc be potenitally life threatning with aids and hiv - perish the thought

who governs these injections and the sale of needles and where are they disposed of , are they disposed of correctly. i would not want to inject myself. if for medical reasons you do have to do this you are shown how to do it and due to your medical condition this is acceptable and a safe practice.

injecting yourself for a tan - what happens if you do it wrong and something happens, who is responsible - you or who you purchased from. this terrifies me. surely this needs to be regulated . i mean can you use a needle more than once - and i know you cant but there are people that are not needle savvy.

oh my - ive come over all cold thinking about it

i for one can not believe that you can buy this in the form of a DIY kit.

next they will be on sale in argos !!!!!! god forbid

Yes, good point. For botox you have to be a fully registered nurse as basic even before the botox training and to let people loose on needles with no idea ie. I would not have a scooby doo where to put a needle at all (obviously a vein, I'm not that stupid !!), but technique and angle etc. it all sounds sooooo scary to me - I wouldnt dare try it myself. The things people do !

a few people i know have had these and they look dreadful! they look orange! there skin is terrible so imaginw in 5 years time what they will look lik! ...not a good thing!

As Nike mentioned in her posting and from what her boyfriend is saying this product hasn't been fully tested and certified as yet...

Why would someone inject themselves with something that hasn't been pr oven to be safe....is it a case that those that are selling it to them aren't telling them the facts

Sun beds have pr oven to be harmful to the outer skin if used excesivley...untill certified by the authorities one must wonder "what could would this procedure possibly do to you from the inside"

Maybe I'm being unfair here but cripes scary stuff

I would much rather have a self tan than an injection!! Injecting urself and then going in the sun to bring it out or wateva aswell too much effort and pain!! Although i will say aswell that i would much prefer to have the St Tropez lotion tan as i have also had bad experiences with spray tan and the lotion is sooo much better. Good luck guys whoever deicide to do it!

Sorry to butt in here on this slightly older thread but I see that people are curious what these "tanning injections" are about.
You folks might like to peruse Melanotan.org and check in the forums. The main thing about the peptides is that they allow folks who ordinarily cannot tan (Type I) or who have difficulty tanning (Type II) to be able to do so. These peptides actually allow the body's own tanning mechanisms to generate the tan (causing melanocytes to produce melanin).
Here are some informative videos as well.

This first video is primarily about Melanotan II:


and this second Epitan video is strictly about Melanotan one ("afamelanotide"):


(This second video talks about putting "salons out of business" but actually that is false, it will most likely bring salons new customers who previously could not use the salons because they couldn't tan. As the first video shows even those who use the peptides need to get some UV exposure (in a salon or otherwise).)
Cheers,

-Scott
Melanotan.org - afamelanotide Founder & Admin

What a waste of time, it hardly changed her at all! Why didn't they follow it until it had an effect, is it because it doesn't really work! Plus she had to expose herself to a sun bed (probably what gave her the slight colour) and injections. Where will our vanity take us next!

Hi Scott,
many thanks for the prudey pictures.....can you tell me if these devices are CE certified and if so under what catergory...I.E. Medical device etc etc.

Also is there a required training and certification needed by those either supplying or applying the medication by injection or can any one do it of any age etc.

weezie,
The thing is she would have never gotten any tan at all without something like Melanotan II because her skin type wouldn't allow it.

collin,

If you watch the first video it more or less explains what the situation is with legalities. The first version of the peptide (the one that has no sexual dysfunction benefits) is being developed for photoprotection under the name "afamelanotide" by a company out of Australia called "Clinuvel". They have a website here: http://www.cliuvel.com/. They're looking to have initial approval for some of the conditions they're working on sometime next year in a couple of countries.

A good resource for more info is here:

Melanotan - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

-Scott

I do understand that but what boggles me is that surely she should stay out of the sun or use a high protection when in the sun (over a spray tan) rather than trying to build up her skins immunity to the sun, especially with her skin type. Just because she has a slightly higher natural protection now (which I can only guess is a small difference) doesn't mean she is safe, African skins have massive amounts of melanin but they can still get skin cancer.

This kinda suggests she is just not meant to be tanning and facilitating her wish to tan by injections of this type is messing with nature for vanity which concerns me.

Actually for many people it's a bit debilitating to not be able to go with their friends to the beach and feel "normal" and relaxed because they are Fitzpatrick skin types I & II . The melanotan peptides aren't meant to be used to provide 100% protection all by themselves, obviously the best game plan is to stay completely out of UV light but who wants to live their life always having to remain indoors or under shade? The melanotan peptides just allow people who would otherwise burn in the sun without constantly lathering on ridiculous amounts of sunscreen to be able to spend time with family & friends out in the sun in a more spontaneous way. If you yourself are able to tan then it may be difficult to imagine what a drag this sort of not-able-to-tan life can be. The melanotan peptides combined with "normal" levels of sunscreen protection are a possible game plan for those who would rather not lead a sunless existence or get burnt outside.

-Scott

I'm so white you can see through me see my avatar take the pink hue of the pic away and I'm white with light freckles! I apply factor 30 every two hours on exposed areas when I have to be in the sun, which is rarely constantly so application is never "every two hours" through out the day, except on occasion on holidays and with this easy method I don't burn.

Some pale people really need to get over their self esteem problems related to their skin colour if they think this is a good way to get colour! A temporary fake tan will help them until they can.

Sorry but I just can't get my head around this.

But people can do what they want with their own health at the end of the day.