'What has this person done?': Specialists alarmed by tanning trend

Lisa Byrom says the trend seems to be most prevalent in teenagers and those in their early 20s. (ABC News: Mark Leonardi) Skin specialists are sounding the alarm over potential cancer risks associated with unregulated peptides at the heart of a social media-driven beauty craze. Dermatologists have told the ABC they've seen patients using Melanotan-II suddenly developing new, abnormal and potentially dangerous moles while taking the peptide. Skin doctors are urging patients who may be worried after using unregulated peptides to book a skin check. Link copiedShareShare articleWhen a teenage boy lifted his shirt, his mates were horrified by what they saw. Nearly 40 moles had appeared all over his back. Confronted, his friends urged the boy to show his parents and a doctor. When dermatologist Lisa Byrom saw the boy's "atypical, worrying" moles, she was overcome with emotion. She was deeply worried that the boy's moles might be early melanomas. "At such a young age, what does this mean for the future?" The boy had been injecting an unregulated peptide, Melanotan-II (MT-II), to give himself a tan. Large moles similar to these appeared on the young person's back after they used Melanotan-II. (Supplied) His skin darkened but Dr Byrom said the patient also "developed lots of funny looking moles, all over their back very, very quickly". Those "really atypical" moles deeply concerned Dr Byrom and she cut some out immediately. The results were negative for melanoma, but the number of abnormal moles on the teenager's back would be a lifetime worry, Dr Byrom said. "They are now at an increased risk of melanoma… for the rest of their lives." The latest wellness craze to take social media by storm is fuelling a growing grey market of injectable peptides in Australia, and it has experts worried. MT-II is a synthetic peptide, unapproved for human use or sale in Australia. Some of Australia's most senior skin doctors told the ABC they had seen a growing number of patients present with worrying side effects — including multiple atypical moles, a known risk factor for melanoma — after using MT-II. "It's essentially tricking our skin cells to believing that it needs to produce more pigment, so it fast tracks skin darkening," dermatologist Leona Yip said. "It's not just a wellness or cosmetic product that you use and it's banal and it's harmless … it's not." Before and after images of a person using Melanotan-II. (Supplied) Doctors have been issuing warnings about MT-II for a number of years. Despite those warnings, there has been an explosion in popularity of unregulated injectable peptides in Australia, driven by social media users promoting their supposed benefits for health and beauty. "We need to have multiple agencies and regulatory bodies sitting together with health professionals, as well as tying in big names, celebrities and credible influencers to talk about the dangers of Melanotan, the dangers of … skin cancers, particularly targeting vulnerable young people." Australia's medicines regulator, the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), has warned unregulated peptides pose a "significant" public health risk. Even so, instructions on how to buy and use them are rife on social media. MT-II is among the most popular peptides being pushed online. With MT-II coming in the form of an injection or nasal spray, Dr Yip said she was concerned it was experiencing a surge in popularity. "We have seen Melanotan trends come back and make resurgences from time to time and we've seen it definitely in recent months," she said. Leona Yip says MT-II is not "banal" or "harmless". (Supplied) Dr Yip said there were a number of case reports in medical literature of moles changing quickly, with melanoma developing a lot faster in people who have used MT-II. She said the tanning drug's potential adverse effects were not just limited to skin. "There have also been many other side effects reported, such as nausea, vomiting, headaches, kidney failure, and you can also get brain swelling," Dr Yip said. Dr Byrom, who is also an associate professor at the University of Queensland's School of Medicine, said it was "heartbreaking" to see another tanning trend gathering pace. She said the trend was particularly noticeable among teenagers and those in their early 20s. "I shudder to think what we're going to be seeing on the skin of people who have used MT-II in the next five to 10 years," Dr Byrom said. Dr Byrom said she was concerned MT-II could end up being as popular as tanning beds. Solarium tanning has been clearly linked to skin cancer, but hard scientific data on the long-term safety of MT-II is scarce. Lisa Byrom is an experienced dermatologist. (ABC News: Mark Leonardi) The Australasian College of Dermatologists, which represents around 700 specialists across Australia, told the ABC it shared "the concerns of the broader medical community about the use of MT-II". "This substance is not approved for sale

'What has this person done?': Specialists alarmed by tanning trend

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