Melanotan 1

Melanotan 1 is an analogue of the body's own hormone alpha-MSH and is also called afamelanotide. Like Melanotan II it acts on the melanocortin pathways, but more selectively: it mainly works on the MC1 receptor, which controls skin pigmentation, and barely on the MC4 receptor, through which Melanotan II produces its effects on libido, appetite and nausea.

That is the practical difference: Melanotan 1 tans similarly but brings far fewer side effects. In medicine the substance is even approved as afamelanotide, though there as a slow-release implant. As a research peptide it is injected subcutaneously, dosed in micrograms, and comes as a freeze-dried powder you dissolve in bacteriostatic water.

Via the MC1 receptor, Melanotan 1 prompts the skin's melanocytes to make more eumelanin. That is the tanning effect, which in a research context is described even with less UV. Because it barely engages the MC4 receptor, the central effects Melanotan II brings are missing: no pronounced nausea surge, no spontaneous erection complex, no strong appetite suppression.

The half-life is short, shorter than Melanotan II. That is why the approved medical form is a depot implant that releases the substance slowly. The injectable research form is used more frequently accordingly. The key point stays: stronger tanning does not mean the skin is protected from UV damage.

Melanotan 1 is used subcutaneously. You need:

• The Melanotan 1 vial with the freeze-dried powder
• Bacteriostatic water to dissolve it
• U-100 insulin syringes
• Alcohol swabs for the vial cap and the skin
• A sealable sharps container for used needles

The powder is dissolved in bacteriostatic water. How much water you add sets the concentration, and with it how many units you draw for your dose on the insulin syringe.

Use the calculator above for this: pick the water volume, and you see the concentration and units per dose. Because it is dosed in small microgram amounts, a not-too-high concentration is practical so the units stay easy to read.

When dissolving, just add the bac water, it does not matter if it hits the powder directly. Then swirl or shake until everything has dissolved, both are fine.

The injection is subcutaneous, into the fat layer under the skin, classically the abdomen (keep about two finger-widths clear of the navel).

• Clean the spot with an alcohol swab and let it dry
• Pinch up a small fold of skin
• Insert the needle at a 45 to 90 degree angle
• Inject slowly, wait a moment, then withdraw
• Put the needle straight into the sharps container

Rotate the site each time.

As afamelanotide, Melanotan 1 is by far the best-studied tanning peptide, because it was approved as a medicine. In an approval study (Langendonk, 2015) the afamelanotide implant increased melanin production and photoprotection in patients with a rare light-sensitivity disease. A long-term observation over 115 patients confirmed a favourable safety profile with mostly mild, transient side effects.

These data come from the medical implant context. For pure tanning use by injection they serve as orientation but are research context. The studies with links are in the source block below.

Melanotan 1 is noticeably better tolerated than Melanotan II, mainly because the MC4 effects are missing. Mostly mild, transient things are reported: slight nausea or headache at the start, injection-site reactions. The spontaneous erection and nausea complex of Melanotan II is practically absent here.

One important difference from Melanotan II: the new or changing moles that are a concern with Melanotan II do not show up the same way with Melanotan 1. The skin tans overall, which is the intended effect. Keeping a general eye on your skin never hurts, though.

A few things that matter:

• Start low, even though Melanotan 1 is milder than Melanotan II.
• Be careful with UV. The tan does not reliably protect against UV damage, so do not overdo sun or tanning beds.
• Keep a general eye on your skin, even though the mole changes typical of Melanotan II are not an issue here.
• In phases rather than continuously.

The undissolved powder is robust, normal room temperature (around 20 to 25 degrees) is fine, ideally kept in the dark. The reconstituted solution goes into the fridge (2 to 8 degrees) and stays stable there for at least 8 to 10 weeks with barely any loss of potency, in practice considerably longer. The bacteriostatic water brings a preservative that keeps the dissolved form stable for longer.