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Tan With Implants Instead Of Sun

Posted by timothy on from the g'tan-mate dept.

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."

4 of 54 comments (clear)

  1. 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.

  2. 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?

  3. 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... :-) )

    --
    Hacker Public Radio is our Friend
  4. 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