The original purpose of Melanotan was to act as an aid in the prevention of skin cancer, but was found useful as a tanning stimulant without needing to spend hours in the sun.
Melanotan II is a cosmetic tanning peptide that stimulates melanin production. Melanin is the main determinant of skin colour in humans, a brown pigment which causes skin to become darker in appearance, instead of red when exposed to UV rays. Melanotan II users develop a gradual, natural looking tan with minimal exposure to the sun. It is particularly useful for fair-skinned individuals who find that they cannot tan naturally in the sun.
It is estimated that more than 90% of Melanotan users use the injectable Melanotan II. Melanotan I is usually only preferred by a small amount of long-term users who feel that Melanotan II makes them too dark, nauseated, and/or those who find the aphrodisiac side effect of Melanotan II to be a nuisance. These problems can be avoided by taking Melanotan II in lower dosages, administering before bed and using sunscreen and clothing to control tanning.
When to take Melanotan II?
The frequency of Melanotan II injections will depend largely on your skin type to begin with, therefore you should identify with which Fitzpatrick skin type you are..
Type 1 Pale Skin: Many freckles, blue/green eyes, red hair, never tans, always burns
Type 2 Fair skin: Few freckles, blue/hazel eyes. blonde/sandy hair, tans poorly, usually burns
Type 3 Darker white skin: Brown hair/eyes. usually tans, rarely burns
Type 4 Light brown skin: Darker brown hair/eyes, tans easily, burns minimally
Usage
Take your Melanotan II dose 1 time per day (preferably before bed) and continue with daily injections until you are happy with the colour of your tan.
Maintenance
To maintain your desired tan, inject your melanotan II dose just 1-2 times per week and you can continue the maintenance dosing indefinitely. However, if you choose to stop your melanotan II injections, your tan will fade back to its pre-Melanotan II shade in 1-2 months.
Assuming the right amount of UV exposure (sun or sun bed) is combined with your Melanotan II usage, then the amount of time it takes to achieve your desired tan (i.e the loading phase) will usually take up to 3-4 weeks for skin types 1 and 2 and as little as 2-3 weeks for skin types 3 and 4.
Melanotan II and UV Exposure
The tanning activity of Melanotan II without the need for UV exposure has been proven by clinical trial; however, the majority of users report that the results are achieved much quicker, and that the tan is more natural colour when Melanotan II is combined with a small amount of UV exposure.
Tanning should start after the third injection and occur around 3 times per week if you wish to see tanning results quickly; otherwise 1-2 tanning sessions per week is sufficient to gradually build your tan.
UV Radiation
Full desired effects almost certainly will not be achieved without some sun or solarium exposure. In other words, NO UV = NO TAN. Well, user will pigment depending on skin type... If you have loaded for a full month then start UV exposure, you (and your friends) will be astounded by how fast you tan and how dark you get. Moreover, it is advisable to keep areas of your skin that ordinarily get exposure covered up with a towel and/or zinc oxide (nose/lips/face) and let less exposed areas develop pigmentation first. Areas of skin that are typically sun-exposed in your day to day life will respond more readily to the effects of the Melanotan peptide.
Fat Loss
The melanocortin (MC) system is a signalling pathway for leptin and insulin. The MC system is important for control of food intake and body weight. MT-2 treatment results in adipocyte lipolysis. MT-2 increases fatty acid oxidation (FAO) in which the MC5R plays a significant role.
MT-2 improves insulin sensitivity through stimulating FAO in skeletal muscle tissue. Reduced food intake from the anorectic response of MT-2 is primarily responsible for weight loss.
Watch yourself
Your tan can sneak up on you. A tan generally sets in 3 days after UV rays. Dose and expose yourself gradually to UVR when tanning. LOVE YOUR SKIN.
Avoid burning
You are protected from burning mostly by your tan, not the MT-2 peptide. Therefore, don't overdo the rays at first. Start with only as much UV that you could tolerate without burning before you began Melanotan. It should not take many weeks before you can tolerate hours of strong sun without burning. Truly incredible for those who have never experienced freedom to enjoy the sun.
Continue your regular dosing protocol until you have reached your desired tan and do not want to become darker. Cut injection frequency to once every 2, 3, 4, or even 7 days. Experiment to find out the frequency that gives you the best possible tan you want.
How should I dose Melanotan II?
Melanotan II dosage is recommended to start out small and build up. A typical starting dose is around .5mg to a maximum dose reaching 1mg per day. Desensitisation happens quick, the first and second administration is an opportunity to dose low to avoid Melanotan 2 side effects. After the second dose, your body should be more accustomed to it and you should increase the dosage to the desired amount (again, up to a maximum of 1mg per day).
How much MT-2 should I buy and how long will it last?
Skin type I: 30-40mg
Skin type II: 20-30mg
Skin type III: 10mg
Should last the entire summer or season
How soon will I begin to see results from Melanotan II?
You should notice a change in your skin tone after 2-3 weeks depending on your skin type. If you're lucky enough to be Skin type 3 and above, you will generally see results after as little as 7 days. If you have freckles, expect them to get darker before your actual skin colour changes. To avoid freckle increases as much then you'll need to reduce the dosage and increase the number of days/injections.
How long will the tan last?
A tan developed using Melanotan 2 lasts much longer than an ordinary tan. A well tanned person returning from a beach holiday will lose most of the tan in a month if they stop getting sun. But if they had been using Melanotan 2 and continued on maintenance after returning, they would still have most of their tan 3 months later.