Melanotan beauty product dubbed the ‘Barbie drug’ sparks urgent health warnings
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Serious health warning issued over ‘Barbie drug’ tanning product being launched by influencers
- Medical Experts Warn Against Drug Melanotan-II
- Skin tag product is known as ‘Barbie dope’
- He has gained popularity online through influencers.
Experts have warned those seeking a quick tan against turning 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 been spraying Melanotan-II, the ‘Barbie drug’ that promises to make people ‘much tanner, much faster’, on platforms like 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 launched the product despite the health concerns associated with it.
That tricks the body into tanning itself, according to UNSW Adjunct Associate Professor of Medicine 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,” said Professor Sebaratnam.
“It means our pigment cells produce more melanin and that’s what gives you your tan.”
However, that tanned skin also has the potential to induce melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer, according to UNSW Associate Professor of Medicine and Health, Dr. John Frew.
To the horror of UNSW medical experts, influencers have been spraying Melanotan-II, the ‘Barbie drug’ that promises to make people ‘much tanner, much faster’, on platforms like Tiktok for years.
You are stimulating the pigment cells with Melanotan-II. If you do it enough, it can cause abnormal cell proliferation,” Dr. Frew said.
“And this can drive the progression towards the possible development of melanoma.”
In addition to the potential for skin cancer and other complications, Melanotan-II also carries the danger of neurological side effects, as the drug can bind to receptors in the brain and influence states such as appetite and sexual frustration, according to the report. Dr Frew.
‘Some strange neurological effects have been reported with Melanotan-II. Nausea, vomiting, and facial flushing are usually more prominent,” Dr. Frews said.
Social media users can even access the drug through social media platforms.
That’s despite efforts by social media companies to remove posts selling or promoting these products.
‘There are also reports of priapism [prolonged erections] and yawning.
The product has not been approved for use in Australia by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) due to “safety reasons”, however that has not stopped social media users from buying the products after seeing them on Tiktok. and Instagram.
Advertising and providing Melanotan-II to the public is illegal and the TGA says it is working with social media and digital platforms to address allegedly illegal advertising by users.
TikTok says it removes videos promoting nasal tanning sprays and melanotan and Meta says it bans the sale of illegal products.
However, the videos continue to be popular with users and product testimonials can be found on the site.
Dr. Frew said questions remain about how to protect social media users from advertising illegal and harmful products, and the responsibilities of social platforms.
“The reach of the TGA is obviously quite limited in terms of what happens on TikTok and Instagram. That is a big problem that does not have a clear solution.