Skin, hair & aesthetics · Melanin production and skin tanning enhancement
Melanotan-2
0.25–0.5 mg load, then 2–3× weekly
A synthetic analogue of α-MSH sold illicitly for tanning, with no approval from any major regulator. Case reports from 2020 flagged renal infarction, rhabdomyolysis, and kidney failure, making its use a public-health concern.
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: start at 0.25 mg once daily for the first few days to gauge nausea, holding at 0.25 to 0.5 mg daily for 1 to 2 weeks while building colour with sun or UV
- Maintenance: 0.5 to 1 mg, two to three times weekly
- At a 2 mL fill on a 10 mg vial (5 mg/mL), 0.25 mg is a 0.05 mL draw (5 units) and 0.5 mg is 0.1 mL (10 units)
Inject at night
- Most people (80 to 90%) get some nausea and facial flushing, worst during loading and peaking 2 to 4 hours after a dose
- Dosing in the evening means you sleep through the worst of it
Dosing detail
- Loading: 0.25 mg daily (start here), up to 0.5 mg, for 1 to 2 weeks. Maintenance: 0.5 to 1 mg, 2 to 3 times weekly.
- Build colour gradually with sun or UV exposure. The peptide primes tanning; light still does the work.
- Nausea and flushing are very common early. Start low, dose at night, ease up if it is rough.
- Do not stack with PT-141 or Melanotan-1. All three act on the same melanocortin system, so combining them is redundant, not better.
Duration
- Loading phase of 1 to 2 weeks of small daily doses, then occasional maintenance doses to keep the tan.
Notes
- Causes noticeable nausea and facial flushing, especially at first. Starting low and dosing at night helps.
- Can darken moles and freckles. Keep an eye on any that change.
- 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.