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Tan With Implants Instead Of Sun

WolfWithoutAClause writes: "Trials of a drug called Melanotan that increases the rate of melanin production in the skin is going well, and may be released for human use in 2005. Tan in a capsule! Less skin cancer and skin aging! No more tedious tanning! The ABC News article is here."

54 comments

  1. Africa by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    This new drug has been secretly tested in Africa for many decades. It has been very successful. We should welcome these technological advances.

  2. excellent by tps12 · · Score: 2

    Now all I need is a pill that makes me trim and muscular and one that keeps me clean without requiring to shower. Then I can be a normal, healthy member of society.

    --

    Karma: Good (despite my invention of the Karma: sig)
    1. Re:excellent by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Only if they invent a pill that causes you to leave your house.

    2. Re:excellent by cpex · · Score: 2, Funny

      and don't forget a pill to wipe your ass, I mean talk about inconvience. :)

    3. Re:excellent by blazin · · Score: 3, Funny

      It simply wouldn't work...

      I mean seriously, have you ever tried to wipe your ass with a tylenol?

    4. Re:excellent by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Actually, Melanotan also curbs your appetite. However, for getting muscles, you will have to eithe work out or take another pill that's in the works.

    5. Re:excellent by rizzo420 · · Score: 1

      i actually heard a radio ad for some new herbal thing that gives you "a cut body that women want". whether or not it's true... that's for you to decide... i also hear lots of ads for maximus or testosterall to increase the male sex drive (like the male needs an increased sex drive). those both make you "the sex machine" and "animal in bed that your lover wants". could they be the same company? probably...

      --
      please me, have no regrets.
  3. The Slashdot Crowd.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ..is gonna love this pill.

  4. Barbie Drug? by littlerubberfeet · · Score: 1

    Can someone conferm if this is one version of the so called Barbie pill?

    If I recall, 2 versions were being developed. One for tanning (its original purpose) and one version as a both-gender viagra pill (side effect found out during testing)

    hmmm, if it is, I wonder if they got rid of the side effect?

    --
    Sig (appended to the end of comments you post, 120 chars)
    1. Re:Barbie Drug? by reyalsnogard · · Score: 0

      Erections as side-effect. Melanotan both darkens skin AND increases blood flow to selective regions!

    2. Re:Barbie Drug? by gene_tailor · · Score: 1

      Yes, that's the same thing.

      --
      It also occurs to me that if one was drowning, yelling "Help! I'm drowning and I lost my bikini top" would probably be m
    3. Re:Barbie Drug? by Lafe · · Score: 2, Informative

      Yes, it is. You can find more information here. Besides the tan and increased libido, other terrible side effects include clearing up acne, and suppressed appetite.

  5. Long-term effects? by reyalsnogard · · Score: 0

    Have the researchers concluded any long-term effects? .. or will this be yet another lovely drug quicked pushed passed the FDA only to be dangerously labeled after public adoption/consumption?

    1. Re:Long-term effects? by reyalsnogard · · Score: 0
      .. quicked pushed ..


      ..er..quickly pushed ..

      Where do I apply to be a /. editor? =)
    2. Re:Long-term effects? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Um, by noticing and correcting that error, you have failed the editor test.

    3. Re:Long-term effects? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Seeing as being an editor requires you to dupe posts and leave horrible English in to fp posts, I don't think being anal in a comment is gonna put you on the shortlist

    4. Re:Long-term effects? by soulcuttr · · Score: 1
      I can't find it on The Onion's website, but this article reminded me of a recent 'News in Brief' article titled Lazy FDA Approves X-Ray Vision Pills
      WASHINGTON, DC--Citing the hot weather and a desire to go home for the day, FDA officials approved American Products Limited's "X-Ray Vision Pills" for commercial sale in the U.S. Monday. "After evaluating this and regulating that for months, we were really dying to cut out early, so we were all just like, 'Fuck it. Let's just approve this,'" FDA deputy commissioner Lester Crawford said. "Besides, nobody could think of a real good reason why X-ray-vision pills would be unsafe."
      More and more I'm finding that just as all conversations can find comparisons to episodes of The Simpsons, references to The Onion are becoming just as easy to make. I fear for a future saturated with constant references to pop culture. *looks around* uh oh...

      -Sou|cuttr
    5. Re:Long-term effects? by reyalsnogard · · Score: 0
      *looks around* uh oh...

      Ooops, did you do it again?
  6. Wow! by therealmoose · · Score: 1
    From the article:

    A new phase of human clinical trials is due to begin within the next few weeks after earlier tests saw white-haired dogs and green frogs turn jet black when they were injected with the drug.

    This might even get that pasty-white developer's tan (tan only on the elbow of the left arm where that one piece of light comes through the crack in the window) out!

    1. Re:Wow! by seriously+!(kidding) · · Score: 1

      The only way I can conceive of this actually working is if it actually gave you a specific hormone that released large amounts of pigment into your skin... but still, how long can it last?

    2. Re:Wow! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Except that sun coming through a window won't get you tan, seeing as how glass blocks UV rays.

  7. Excellent for hate crime offenders by infonography · · Score: 1

    Crank it to max and let them be what they hate. Kinda like that movie the Watermellon man.

    --
    Sorry about the writing. Robot fingers, you know? Cliff Steele in DOOM PATROL #23
  8. Tanning? by fogof · · Score: 1

    Finaly I can look like I went to the beach, and still stay home in the basment in front of the computer all day long.

    --
    --=.=-- www.cyber2000.qc.ca
  9. Anti-tanning ? by fogof · · Score: 2, Interesting

    The same company that make tanning oils (to get your skin darker) make skin "bleachers" (for for indian/african market) ....
    I wonder if this company will make an "Anti-tanning" pill, that will make your skin whiter?

    I guess we are all going to end up being grey :)

    --
    --=.=-- www.cyber2000.qc.ca
    1. Re:Anti-tanning ? by Guppy · · Score: 2

      "I wonder if this company will make an "Anti-tanning" pill, that will make your skin whiter?"

      Such things already exist. Examples include the skin bleaches Hydroquinone and Kojic Acid. Medically, they're used to treat pigmentation disorders, old age spots, hyperpigmented scars, etc.

      Not surprisingly, skin bleaches have also has been used in some parts of the world for cosmetic purposes -- not a recommended use, since they can have serious side effects.

  10. The reverse Michael Jackson effect by cpex · · Score: 1

    instead of a black man turning white you got white geeks turning black Hey sign me up for some of this stuff my red-headed ass could use it:)

    1. Re:The reverse Michael Jackson effect by RedWolves2 · · Score: 1

      So if your theory is true we would all grow bigger noses and our voices would become really deep.

      The reverse MJ effect!

    2. Re:The reverse Michael Jackson effect by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      There's also the 9-11" penis factor. Too bad that would be wasted on the slashbot crowd.

  11. id does more than that by an_mo · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Actually, it has been shown that the drug has unwanted side effects, such increased libido and spontaneous erections in males. Now it's being studied as a viagra-substitute, the problem is to separate this from the tanning effect. An alternative is to market it as the "barbie-pill": tan & sex; add a sprinkle of coke and you have it all.

    More info at melanotan.org.

    1. Re:id does more than that by Hoeken · · Score: 1

      not only that, but it also has properties such as appetite suppression and acne fighting...no lie...this would be a very wonderful drug.

      --
      Educate > Enlighten > Evolve http://www.neuroatomik.com
    2. Re:id does more than that by lbjay · · Score: 1

      Increased libido and spontaneous erections?!? Wow, I really don't have a reason to go to the beach anymore!

      --
      really? wow... that's reallywow.
    3. Re:id does more than that by He+Schutze+He+Scores · · Score: 1

      Geez.. more spontaneous erections and libido?? Just what I didn't need. It's like being 15 years old again ;) Now if it would enlarge breasts too, we could call it the XXX pill. HSHS

      --
      He Schutze, He Scores!
  12. where can i order? by sideone · · Score: 1

    Well i guess we have a few years before it comes out, but maybe ill finally have a tan! i spend way too much time working, coding, and learning to lay in the sun. now that i think about it, ill probobly have some type of excuse for not using the tan-pill as well.. cheers

    --


    sideone
    ITBitch.com Your reason for leaving work!
  13. Rock on.... by Pahroza · · Score: 1

    Maybe we can slip some of these to Michael Jackson, I'm sure his family will love us for restoring him his blackness!

  14. Banana split (candid camera) by oever · · Score: 2

    This article reminds me of I nonsense story I told one of my roommates.

    I was preparing to go on holiday to South Africa (spending my flying quotum for approx. 10 years) and needed to get some shots.
    During the daily washing up, my roommate asked me which shots I had had to take. I told him, the regular shots, but since he likes fooling people around, I thought I'd get back at him for some of his pranks, and I told him I'd also taken an experimental shot which was supposed to increase my melatonin level in the next week, so I'd already have a tan when I'd go to South Africa. The point of the shot was that the tan would protect me from the sun instead of sun tan lotion. Since it was an experimental shot I'd volenteered to at the docter's, I was supposed to take a picture of myself twice a day, making sure the lightning was always equal. Also during my holiday I should measure my light exposure and continue taking pictures.

    I was really surprised by the fact he totally believed my story! I thought it was completely transparent bullshit. In the next week he kept informing about the progess, and months later when I told him he'd been fooled he was really flabergasted. But now, three years later, the same idea's on slashdot....

    So why did I needed to get back at this guy?

    Every morning he woke up before everybody else in the house. Since nobody was in the kitchen while he was there, he started drawing a crack from the ceiling of our new house, adding only the slightest bit every day. We were quite worried about the solidity of our house, but couldn't properly examine the crack since it was so high up. The need to go up to the crack, since it was so obvious. It took months before we realised the crack was drawn with a pencil!

    --
    DNA is the ultimate spaghetti code.
    1. Re:Banana split (candid camera) by budalite · · Score: 1

      eeek! The enemy is inside the gates. (Well, he would be if we had gates...) Careful, if you are not THE JackV, you might have copyright issues over your name.

      Happy Friday.
      [When is a firewall not a firewall? When it's full of Gates. Windows = Gated Communites?]

  15. Re:it does more than that by Dr.Dubious+DDQ · · Score: 3, Informative

    Dagnabbit, I was just about to mention this, and somebody's beaten me to it.. :-)

    The drug in question is, as I recall, "Melanocyte Stimulating Hormone", which evidently is showing in trials that it improves libido for both men and women. It seemingly acts in the brain rather than the genitals (and as any marriage/sex councelor should tell you, the brain is the most important sex organ after all) and so works in a completely different way from viagra and such.

    Wonder how hard it is to get hold of stock in this company....whether it's OFFICIALLY released for anything other than a tanning-aid, you just KNOW that the, ahem, "off-label" uses of it will make it awfully popular....

    (I find it hilarious to see increased libido listed as an unwanted side-effect... :-) )

  16. Who needs it by LastToKnow · · Score: 1

    My CRT tan is coming along just fine without any help. People need to stick to doing things the natural way.

  17. tedious? by alphaFlight · · Score: 1

    one word... Bikinis

    --
    -= alphaFlight =-
    1. Re:tedious? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I don't think it will look good if the body is tanned and both boobs are white :)

  18. Whats with all the tanning crap anyway? by xagon7 · · Score: 2

    I think women look MUCH better pale-skinned anyday (Carrie Ann Moss, Liv Tyler, my wife) ;)

    1. Re:Whats with all the tanning crap anyway? by gene_tailor · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Actually, the "medical" application is in preventing skin cancer. That's why the Australians (who have really high skin cancer rates) are the ones pushing this as a commercial development, though the chemical was first identified in the US.

      --
      It also occurs to me that if one was drowning, yelling "Help! I'm drowning and I lost my bikini top" would probably be m
  19. Re:it does more than that by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I find it hilarious to see increased libido listed as an unwanted side-effect...

    Yeah, who wouldn't want to be frustratingly horny all the time? Nothing like a spontaneous erection at a funeral to get people talking about what a cool necrophiliac you are. It's the latest craze!

  20. Old news... and more details by gene_tailor · · Score: 3, Informative

    This story had some media coverage about 5 years ago... For example, here's a Boston Globe bit with some useful details:
    http://search.boston.com/globe/search/st ories/heal th/how_and_why/101397.htm
    A more recent article which is much better than the lame ABC story is on Wired:
    http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/10.06/m elanotan .html

    --
    It also occurs to me that if one was drowning, yelling "Help! I'm drowning and I lost my bikini top" would probably be m
  21. Other colors? by Myco · · Score: 2

    The real trick would be a pill that lets you change your skin to a more outlandish color than "sorta brownish." Certain subcultures woul just eat this up. I can imagine a warehouse full of ravers with purple, green, fluorescent, etc. skin.

  22. Larry Niven: 1 - Nostradamus: 0 by Thurog · · Score: 1

    At last: Tannin secretion pills.

    Nr. 37 on the You know you've been reading too much by Larry Niven when... list is now obsolete.

    --
    The difference between ignorance and apathy? I sure don't know, and I don't care either.
  23. Implants ?? Try Body Thetans. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I have my thetans working overtime keeping me all tanned up year round.
    All it takes is some time auditing and you to could enjoy a nice tan without using creams or spending time at tanning salons.
    Lrh

  24. I wonder by andrew_0812 · · Score: 0

    Would this work for people who cannot tan naturally? I have never been able to tan, I just burn or get freckles. It would be nice if this would work for people like me.

  25. freckles? by meridoc · · Score: 1

    How about people who don't process sunlight well and freckle instead of tan? Does the pill give an even tan or really big spots? ("look! I'm now a dalmation!")

    --
    "Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former." -- Albert Einstein
  26. King of Pop by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Finally, a cure for Michael Jackson is right around the corner!

  27. Implants??? by Alsee · · Score: 2

    It's a pill, not an implant.

    Side effects include increased sex drive, appetite suppressant, it's an anti-inflamitory, and it may fight acne (not sure about that one).

    It would be the perfect barbie pill if only it madeyou blond too. Tan, thin, horny, no pain, and clear complexion.

    -

    --
    - - You can't take something off the Internet! That's like trying to take pee out of a swimming pool.
  28. Bleached by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    One pill to increase melanin production and one to decrease it. Instantly everybody has the same skin color and we'll have to find something other than skin color to discriminate against each other. Cool.

    One pill to rule them all :)

  29. Perfect market by reitoei1971 · · Score: 1

    Now I never have to leave my cubicle!