Dermatologist Shereene Idriss warns against melanotan II, an unregulated injectable peptide marketed for tanning. An Australian teenager who used it developed dozens of atypical moles and now has a dramatically increased melanoma risk. These gray-market peptides lack long-term safety data and turn users into unwitting test subjects.
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Have you guys noticed how everybody and their mother is quite literally on some sort of injectable peptide these days? And no, I'm not talking about those Ozempics of the world. We're past that part. I'm talking about the stuff on the gray market. So if you're thinking about it yourself, which I have for myself, but I have not done, I want you to pause for a second and watch this because the trend has officially gone way too far. People now are injecting themselves with a peptide just to get a tan. It kind of sounds genius, but it's not. It's melanotin 2. It's not a tanning bed, it is not the sun, there's no UV rays. It is a syringe full of something that is coming from some sort of lab, maybe a meth lab, who the heck knows? And it's not harmless. There is a report of a teenager in Australia who has been tan maxing, which by the way is not just injecting this peptide, it's also looking at the UV index so they can go sit in the sun when the UV is really high. And he— Grew nearly 40 moles on his back over a very short period of time. They were mostly atypical and now his risk of skin cancer is sky high. And it's not just any skin cancer, it's melanoma, which is the deadliest form of skin cancer. So this guy is quite literally effed. That is so sad. And to make matters worse, it's not just melanotin 2. People are injecting peptides to increase muscle mass, to minimize aging, for quote unquote longevity. I don't know what we're actually measuring with that. Chasing trends from bros and hoes giving you advice online. These people are quite literally drug dealers if these are considered drugs, and maybe they're making crystal meth on the side. So, you little chicken, I know that you don't trust the system. I get it. 6 years have been nuts. I don't even think I trust it anymore. But the shortcut and biohacking an unregulated peptide that hasn't shown any long-term clinical safety data is just stupid, making you a guinea pig of a clinical trial with an N of 1 and zero known outcomes. And just because it works for Hor— Hor— 4. And just because it works for her doesn't mean it will work for you. So this is the biggest longevity hack: skip the peptides, the injectable ones. Tan from a bottle. Wear the damn sunscreen. Ah, before you come at me, go touch grass and go sit under the UV before 10 AM, before the UV index is above 3. And stop letting the internet talk you into injecting things with zero long-term safety into your bodies. And if you know somebody who's deep down this trend or hole, then please send this to them before they learn the hard way.
