Skin, hair & aesthetics · Treatment of erythropoietic protoporphyria and photosensitivity disorders
Melanotan-1
0.25 mg twice weekly, then weekly
Synthetic α-MSH analog approved (Scenesse) for erythropoietic protoporphyria, a rare light-sensitivity disorder. Boosts eumelanin production to extend pain-free sun exposure.
Reconstitution
| Vial | 1 mL water | 2 mL water |
|---|---|---|
| 10 mg | 10 mg/mL | 5 mg/mL |
- Use bacteriostatic water as the diluent.
- Add the water slowly, letting it run down the inside wall of the vial rather than onto the powder.
- Swirl gently to mix, then leave it to dissolve. Do not shake.
- Give it a few minutes. The finished solution should be clear and colourless.
Protocol
Route: Subcutaneous
Standard protocol (subcutaneous)
- Loading: 0.25 mg (250 mcg) twice weekly for about 4 weeks, paired with gradual UV exposure (15 to 30 minutes, building up)
- Maintenance: taper to roughly once weekly once colour develops
- At a 2 mL fill on a 10 mg vial (5 mg/mL), 0.25 mg is a 0.05 mL draw (5 units)
Milder than Melanotan-2
- Melanotan-1 (afamelanotide) causes much less nausea and does not have the libido or appetite effects of MT-2, so most people tolerate it more easily
Dosing detail
- Loading: 0.25 mg twice weekly for about 4 weeks. Maintenance: about once weekly after colour develops.
- Pair with gradual UV exposure to build the tan.
- Milder side-effect profile than MT-2: less nausea, no flushing or appetite change for most.
- Watch moles and freckles for any changes, as with any tanning peptide.
Duration
- About 4 weeks of twice-weekly loading, then weekly maintenance.
Notes
- Also called afamelanotide. Milder on nausea and without the libido effect of MT-2.
- Does not cause the same flushing or appetite changes as MT-2 for most people.
- Inject subcutaneously and rotate sites.
Storage and handling
- Keep the powdered (lyophilized) vial in a cool, dark place. Refrigerate it for longer-term storage before mixing.
- Once reconstituted and refrigerated at 2–8 °C away from light, use the vial within 90 days.
- Do not freeze a reconstituted vial, and keep it away from heat and sunlight.
- If the solution turns cloudy, develops floating particles, or shows any other sign of degradation, stop using that vial.