Health Officials have today advised people not to use an illegal intravenous synthetic hormone, which is widely available to buy on-line, to build up fake tans.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), which governs medicines to make sure they are not harmful to users, have advised that there has been an increase in people using Melanotan, a synthetic hormone that promotes the production of melanin, which protects the skin from the
harmful effects of the sun - as well as darkening the skin.

Users of Melanotan have to inject the hormone into the skin to reap from its benefits. It is currently illegal as it has not been officially safety-tested by any Western governmental healthcare agency, however it is sold online or behind the scenes in gyms and tanning salons. Doctors warn that the greatest risks posed by the hormone are related infections such as HIV or Hepatitis, due to it being an intravenous drug.

The hormone comes in two different types. Melanotan I helps to create a deeper tan, while Melanotan II can increase sexual desire. It is currently illegal in the UK to ship or sell either form, but customers are not breaking the law by buying the product.

Urban Wellbeing, a Soho independent salon in London went as far as openly selling Melanotan on a website forum. The advert said they were a “leading supplier of the personal research peptide Melanotan II, with a London-based agent”. When an undercover investigator phoned the salon they claimed the shop itself did not sell the hormone, but an independent agent.

David Carter, from the MHRA advised people against buying Melanotan, saying, “Don’t be fooled into thinking that Melanotan offers a shortcut to a safer and more even tan. The safety of these products is
unknown and they are unlicensed in the UK. The side-effects could be extremely serious.”