Experts have voiced concerns over so-called "tan jabs" – injections of the drugs Melanotan I and Melanotan II which have the ability to tan the skin.
On the website of the British Medical Journal Dr Michael Evans-Brown of Liverpool John Moores University, UK, and colleagues warn that their use in the general population is unregulated and potentially harmful.
"The prevalence of the use of these drugs is unknown," they write. "Even though the drugs are unlicensed they are easily available through online shops (including, until recently, eBay.co.uk) and are also sold and administered in tanning salons, beauty parlours, and hairdressers."
Warnings have been issued by drug regulatory authorities in the US and in Europe, but a "thriving online community of users exists". As well as producing tanned skin, melanotans are sometimes used to self-medicate conditions including rosacea and fibromyalgia.
As well as the pigmentation system, they can also affect energy homoeostasis, sexual functioning, the immune system, inflammation, and the cardiovascular system, researchers warned.
"Serious concerns exist about the quality of the preparations that are currently available, not only the drug content and dose, but also contaminants and sterility", say the researchers. "Some users are reusing or sharing injecting equipment."
They warn that the use of the melanotans is part of a broader phenomenon of using a range of drugs not only for lifestyle reasons, but also as self-prescribed medical treatments.
Healthcare professionals must understand the forces that drive this new phenomenon, and develop strategies to reduce the associated harm, they urge. But their effect will be limited unless the demand for these products is reduced, requiring substantial changes in society’s attitudes, the experts conclude.
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