UK News

Sales of illegal self-tanning drugs on the rise

Tuesday, 18th November 2008

Written by Francesca Cookney

An increasing number of us are prepared to go to extremes to get the perfect tan, an investigation has revealed. A report carried out by the BBC has shown that more and more people are using the Melanotan tanning drug despite its currently being unlicensed in the UK.

The synthetic hormone is designed to stimulate the body's natural production of melanin but it is still undergoing trials and dermatological tests. It is illegal to buy but desperate customers find it readily available online and even some salons and gyms.

The drug must be injected every day for 10 days and then every week in order to maintain the colour and if that's not enough to put people off, both the side effects and long term health risks are as yet completely unknown. A spokesperson from the British Skin Foundation said: "People may think that this drug is a safe alternative to sunbeds and sunbathing because it doesn't require UV light [but] when it comes to an injectable, unlicensed drug, we have no idea what side-effects it may incur."

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) also added its concerns about the amount of people prepared to administer the injections without any sort of medical knowledge or guidance.

Nevertheless, it seems many are prepared to take the risk in pursuit of that covetable year-round glow.