Melanotan beauty product dubbed the 'Barbie drug' sparks urgent health warnings trends now
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Experts have warned those looking to get a quick tan not to turn to a product popular on social media, which has the potential to cause serious side effects including melanoma.
To the horror of UNSW medical experts, influencers have spruiked Melanotan-II, the 'Barbie drug' that promises to make people get 'way tanner, way quicker', on platforms such as Tiktok for years.
The drug is a synthetic version of a Melanocyte-stimulating-hormone (-MSH), and works by 'hacking' the body's regulation of pigment cells.
Social media users have used Melanotan-II and spruiked the product despite the health concerns associated with it
That tricks the body into tanning itself, according to UNSW Medicine Conjoint Associate Professor Deshan Sebaratnam.
'In our skin, we have pigment cells and we have hormones that regulate the activity of those pigment cells. So what Melanotan-II does is mimic the action of those hormones and upregulate the activity of our pigment cells,' Professor Sebaratnam said.
'It means that our pigment cells produce more melanin and that's what gives you your tan.'
However, that tan skin also comes with the potential to induce melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer, according to Conjoint
