Melanotan 2 Journal w/ Pics

[AnnTan]

Important update: When I started this journal I didn't really understand how Melanotan works and I believe I suffered extra side effects because of it. Melanotan does not make you tan. Melanotan makes it easier for your skin to tan. It is a tanning multiplier. In fact if you take Melanotan without also getting UV exposure (either from the sun or a tanning booth) you may increase the number or severity of new moles. Your face may take on a dirty appearance. I believe it's very important that people understand this before starting with Melanotan.

About Me: Female, 5’4”, 125 lb. I’m probably Skin Type 3; I can tan easily, but I can also burn if I spend too much time outside without a base tan. My goal with Melanotan 2 is to build a really dark base tan, and my hope is that I’ll be able to maintain it with just Melanotan plus the occasional tanning session. I want to be able to maintain a dark year-round tan without spending too much time tanning.

My Planned Dosage Regimen (subject to change!)

• Give 250mcg/day for first few days
• Give 500mcg/day after that
• Get UV exposure every other day
• After I've reached my desired color, I hope I'll be able give 500mcg once/week (or maybe even less) and be able to maintain my desired color with no or few tanning sessions. We'll see!

Oct 5, 2015
I got the last of my supplies today! Very excited and another huge thank you to everyone on this forum, especially PeptideGuru who both provided the guide I’m using, and who also answered many of my questions. I’ve never used a syringe before so I’m pretty nervous about how that will go, though I’m confident that I can get used to it quickly. I reconstituted my vial today, in preparation of starting tomorrow!

Oct 6, 2015 - 250mcg | 17 minutes tanning bed
I was pretty nervous about the first injection, but I followed the directions and it was easy! I didn’t feel anything since the needle was so small, in fact, I thought it didn’t even go in at first. I took an antihistamine (Benedryl) before, but after administering 250mcg of Melanotan, I still felt some facial flushing and I was a little nauseous, but I’m not sure if that wasn’t just from the excitement of it all! I went to a tanning place and they recommended I spend 17 minutes in their most “gentle” bed (only 1% UVB) to help ramp up my skin for tanning. By the time I left I already had a little bit of extra color.

I didn't think to take a "before" picture until after my first tan, but here it is:

skin-start.jpg


Oct 7, 2015 - 250mcg
I felt pretty nauseous a few minutes after injection, and it lasted about 2 hours. It was definitely more than yesterday. I forgot to take an antihistamine before, so I’m wondering if that may be part of it. I’m hoping the nausea will stop affecting me as my body gets used to Melanotan. I may start taking Melanotan right before I go to bed (and/or invest in some Dramamine). Tomorrow is my next tanning session!


Oct 8, 2015 - 150mcg | 17 minutes tanning bed
I went tanning again today in the same bed for the same amount of time as two days ago. I can definitely see some extra color today. I decided not to give myself Melanotan until just before I went to bed to help prevent the nausea. I know it's better to take it before tanning, but since it has a half life of 33 hours I knew there was still some in my system from the last two days. I also took my dose down to 3 units today (which equals 150mg) instead of 5 to help with the nausea and also because I'm getting a good amount of color already. I noticed the facial flushing today even though I took Benadryl (not sure if it's helping me with that), but not really any nausea. Tomorrow I think I'll go back to a normal dose.


Oct 9, 2015 - 250mcg
I did it in the middle of the day. No nausea today, and I don't think I really got flushed at all. I guess my body has adjusted! Tanning tomorrow!


Oct 10, 2015 - 250mcg | 18 minutes tanning bed
I gave myself Melanotan right before I left for the tanning bed. Zero flushing or nausea at all today, so I'm considering going up to 500mcg tomorrow. However, I'm not even that sure I need to up my dose. I've noticed that I'm definitely a lot more tan than I was. I admit I can usually tan okay even without Melanotan, but I feel like I'm getting way more color than normal for the number of days I've tanned.

Another thing that's different is they type of bed I'm using. In the past I've used the types of beds that you can only go in for 4-5 minutes without being burned. But the type of bed they've been putting me in at my new place is different. It's a lot less powerful but it lets you go in for a long time without burning. I feel like it's more effective than the fast beds, but probably it's the Melanotan helping. I've also been using an "intensifier" lotion before I get in the bed which helps your skin tan better under the lights. I was considering getting an intensifier lotion that also has a bronzer in it, so I get the absolute most tan out of every session (and therefore spend less time tanning). I don't mind supplementing my real tan with just a little extra fake tan on top.

I'm a little concerned about seeing some of my friends who haven't seen me in a few weeks. I know they're going to ask about how tan I am since I've been pasty white for as long as they've known me. My plan is to be honest, "I've been tanning," and leave it at that. I figure that true friends will accept me as I am! I'll post an updated picture soon!

Oct 11, 2015 - 350mcg
I gave myself 350mcg Melanotan today. I actually planned to give myself 500mcg but I chickened out right at the end and only used 7 of the 10 units I'd measured out. I'm not sure why, I guess it just seemed like a lot of liquid compared to the 5 units I've been using. Next batch I make will be more concentrated. Tomorrow I will go to 500mcg for sure. I'm definitely more tan, and I am seeing a friend tomorrow and wondering how she will react.

I noticed that my skin seems a little dry so I'm planning to moisturize, moisturize, moisturize until my skin feels super soft again. I think I may have been tanning a little too aggressively and it dried out my skin. I want to make sure it seems hydrated and healthy before I go tanning again.

2015-10-10-23.33.32.jpg

Oct 12, 2015 - 500mcg
I took Melanotan right before meeting a friend (who didn't seem to notice/care about my tan at all). I felt a little nauseous right after injection, but I took some Dramamine. I'm not sure if it was that or just time but I felt okay again about a half hour later. My skin feels nice and soft now that I've been moisturizing. I'm not sure whether I plan to go tanning tomorrow.

Oct 13, 2015 - 400mcg
I didn't get a chance to go tanning today. I was planning to take 500mcg of Melanotan but I accidentally only measured out 8 units instead of 10 and I just went with it. No nausea or any side effects I could tell. I did notice a few of my freckles have darkened, but as far as I can tell it looks the same as when I've been exposed to the sun. I plan on going tanning first thing tomorrow!

Oct 14, 2015 - 500mcg | 20 minutes tanning bed
No nausea or anything, I feel like I'm looking pretty dark after today's tanning session! I tried using this product called "Wink-Ease" which are disposable things you stick on your eyes for protection and I think I sort of put them on wrong. I ended up with raccoon eyes where uneven splotches around my eyes didn't get tanned haha. I'm sure they're a lot more obvious to me than anyone else, and it was most likely user error, but I think I'm going to stick with the regular eye protection googles from now on. I've been trying to find opportunities to get my face in the sun to try to even everything out today

Oct 14, 2015 - 0mcg
So today I woke up with a bit of a sore throat and I decided to skip my Melanotan today. I also noticed that my body is way darker than my face, which is something I've also dealt with in the past with sunbeds. I plan on going outside more with a tank top on to start tanning the upper part of my body, and prevent the rest of my body from seeing the sun to help even things out.

I did notice something that upset me a little bit today. I have noticed a new dark freckle right on my nose. I'm not sure how I feel about that. It's really noticeable to me and my boyfriend mentioned it this morning, thinking I had a big ol' pimple on my nose. It makes me feel a little self conscious. I plan on putting some fake tanner on my face tonight to hopefully help make it less noticeable, but I'm a little wary of taking more Melanotan in case it makes it bigger or even darker.

Oct 15, 2015 - 0mcg
I noticed a few more dark freckles on my face.... I think this may be the end of me and Melanotan 2. At this point I'm just trying to get my upper body tan by spending some time out in the sun (and just maybe help the new freckles blend in) and then I think I'm avoiding all UV rays for a while in the hopes that these freckles will disappear. Melanotan 2 may be a good choice for some people, but for me the freckles makes it unsuitable for me.

In case you're interested, here's the offending freckle (I don't mind the one on the side of my nose, but the one on my nose is a deal-breaker). I have a few other small ones that have appeared, but they are barely visible.

IMG_20151017_081223942.jpg

I may report back to let you know if the freckle(s) stays or disappears. In retrospect, I do think it was a mistake to dose with Melanotan on days I wasn't getting UV exposure. It's like the melanin in my skin didn't have anywhere to go so it made freckles. And since the skin on my face was still very light, the freckle sticks out a lot.

[Ari]

Wish you luck! And thanks for this log.

[peptideguru]

I've moved this to the Journal board as it suits better, being a journal.

It looks good so far and I'm glad I could help!
Tom

[AnnTan]

Oct 19, 2015 - 250mcg | 7 minutes tanning bed
I noticed one more small tiny freckle right under my lip, and several tiny ones on my neck. So right now it looks like I have 3 new freckles in total on my face, and lots on my neck and the area just above my collar bone. All the new ones are very dark compared to a regular freckle, so honestly they're probably just really tiny moles. The only one that bothers me is the one on my nose.

I really want to get my face more tan because I think it will help the new spots blend in. I decided to take one more very small dose of Melanotan and go tan for just a few more days. I hope that taking a small dose and immediately tanning will help get my face darker without letting any Melanotan build up in my system and possibly make more freckles. I went back and forth and was really hesitant to take any more Melanotan, but it's addictive. Each tanning session on Melanotan gets you so much darker compared to regular tanning. I tried to tell myself that a little bit extra probably isn't going to make new moles at this point.

I went for 7 minutes in the sunbed today and put intensifier lotion only on my face and arms, but not on the rest of my body. It is my hope that my face will catch up a little, or at least get darker. I didn't want to go longer because I want to go every day for the next few days. I'm going to wear a tank top and try to spend time outside tomorrow, in addition to more tanning in the sunbed. Melanotan 2 has a half-life of 33 hours, so in five days I imagine most of it will be gone. I plan on trying to get lots of UV exposure between now and then.

Some of my thought on Melanotan 2 so far:

Not sure if anyone is interested, but I have a few thoughts on Melanotan 2 so far. First off, for me it made it so I tanned far faster than normal. However, I've noticed that the parts of my skin that haven't tanned as much as the rest (mainly my face, neck, and around my collar bones) have lots of new small but very dark spots. The parts of my skin that got really tan didn't seem to have any. It makes me wonder if the Melanotan "built up" on the parts of my body that didn't tan, which expressed itself as moles.

Another thing I've noticed that's interesting is that every part of my skin tans. I have stretch marks on my sides and butt that I got during puberty. They're normally silvery so they're almost invisible with pale skin but when I get tan they normally don't tan. I end up having bright silvery white stretch marks on my tanned sides. The weird thing with Melanotan is for the first time ever the stretch marks seem to be tanning too, and they're almost invisible now. So it's really nice that it also tans my stretch marks and I have a nice even tan.

On the flip side, I've noticed that the scars of any recent wounds have all darkened considerably. I had a cut on my lower leg from a few weeks ago that has gone almost purple. All my older scars have become darker more noticeable. So the fact that all parts of your skin tan seems to be kind of a double edged sword.

[AnnTan]

Oct 20, 2015 - 0mcg | 15 minutes tanning bed
I got so much darker today, probably from the Melanotan in my system from yesterday. I went in a booth that has a face lamp specifically to help your upper body tan. I'm going to try to spend time outside today. It's insane how much more tan I get than normal when it's in my system. It's addictive, I don't want more moles, but I do love how dark my skin is everywhere.

I thought you might be interested in some pics of the moles/freckles I'm talking about, I'll update this journal with them soon!

Oct 21, 2015 - 0mcg | 15 minutes tanning bed
This is going to be my last day of tanning for a while since most of the Melanotan 2 is probably out of my system by now. I'll just be spending time outdoors. I want to make sure I give my skin tons and tons of moisture over the next few days since it's been spending so much time in the bed.

Oct 22, 2015 - 0mcg
I took these pics on the 20th (two days ago), but didn't get a chance to post them until now. Here's some examples of the freckles/moles I've gotten on (mostly) my face and neck.

The freckles that bother me the most, especially the one on my nose:

nose-freckles2-no-arrows.jpg

nose-freckles2.jpg

Sides of my face (the one under my lip is tiny but dark):

side-face-freckles.jpg

Neck:

neck.jpg

It's so frustrating because I really feel like I could have prevented the ones on my face, and especially the one on my nose, if I'd dosed lower and didn't spend days out of the sun after a recent dose of Melanotan. I feel like I either have really good stuff or I'm really sensitive to Melanotan 2 and don't need much at all. I don't think there was really any reason for me to ever dose above 250mcg. I wish I had done something more like just take 250mcg, then tan for the next few days until the M2 was out of my system, then wait until I need more color again, repeat. I feel like that way I would always have "used up" any extra Melanotan in my system. I'm not saying that's how it works, because it seems to be different for everyone, but that's what I would do next time for me.

The freckles stand out a little less now that I've gotten a bit more color, and if they really bother me I figure I can cover them up with a little makeup.

Honestly, after all this I actually haven't completely written off M2 yet. I'm still considering using it in the future, because I feel like I have more knowledge on how it's going to affect me so I can use it in a way that gets more color without the moles/freckles.

I imagine at least one person will come across this journal and ask, "Why would you use a research chemical that's known to give you freckles that you don't want? Why would you keep using it?" Believe me, that's a question I ask myself too. But I think it's really hard to overstate how nice the M2 tan looks, how even it is, and how FAST it comes. For someone who's always wanted to get really dark, the ability to reach my ultimate color in just 2 weeks is insane considering how much time I've spend in sunbeds in the past (for way less results)!

In case anyone is curious what my color looks like now (at this point my color is evened out and my face is the same color as everything else):

tan-2015-10-21-22.38.25.jpg

[Ari]

While I used melanotan 2 I had problems with freckles/moles appearing as well. Mainly on my shoulders, however, I wasn't too worried about them.

Last time I used MT2 was about 8 months ago and most of freckles have dissapeared.

And keep us updated, I'm definitely interested!

[AnnTan]

My color is starting to fade and I'm ready to go darker. One of the things I keep thinking of is how disappointed and sad my mom would be if she knew I was taking tanning injections and got freckles on my face as a result. And she'd be even more angry if she knew I was going to keep doing it, in hopes of finding a way that doesn't give me more freckles. But after some thought I've decided this is what I'm doing right now. I believe everyone makes their own choices and I stand by mine.

My New Planned Dosage Regimen

• Give 500mcg/day on days that I tan
• No additional Melanotan on days I'm not tanning
• Tan every other day

After I've reached my desired color (or if I get more freckles), I'll take another break.


Nov 6, 2015 - 400mcg | 15 minutes tanning bed
I realized my old re-constituted bottle of Melanotan 2 was almost out. I was able to get 400mcg for today, and I mixed up a fresh bottle of 5mg Melanotan 2 for the future. As soon as I took the Melanotan I felt a little nauseous and my heart went a little fast for about 5 minutes, but not as bad as the first time. 15 minutes in the tanning bed. I took a few pictures of my face freckles and I'll upload them when I get a chance. I'll have to compare and see if they seem any lighter. I do believe that getting more tan will help cover them up.

I've decided to calculate the amount of Melanotan in my system by calculating the half life. Melanotan half life is ~33 hours so for a standard 500mcg dose it goes like this:

0 hours - 500 mcg / 100%
33 hours - 250 mcg / 50%
66 hours - 125 mcg / 25%
99 hours - 63 mcg / 13%
132 hours - 31 mcg / 6%
165 hours - 16 mcg / 3% (mostly gone at ~7 days)
198 hours - 8 mcg / 1%
231 hours - 4 mcg / 0% (~10 days)

Source: Drug Half Life Calculator - Drugsdb.com Drug Half Life Calculator - Drugsdb.com

You can see that even if you tanned a full 24 hours after taking Melanotan 2, you'd still have more than half the Melanotan in your system. I'm going to try to use this information to calculate the amount of Melanotan 2 in my system throughout this process, and sort of compare that to my results to see what significance current levels have. I know it's not scientific, but why not? I'm keeping an excel spreadsheet and I'll share the final numbers with you if they make sense.

So for today I consider myself at at 400mcg. In 24 hours I'll be at ~242 mcg. I'm using this tool to help me make calculations: Half Life Calculator

And of course, after tanning, moisturize, moisturize, moisturize! It not only helps you keep the tan you already have, it helps you tan in the future. Plus it's good for your skin and helps prevent wrinkles. Make sure especially to moisturize after getting out of the shower!

Nov 7, 2015 - 0mcg | Sitting out in sun for about an hour
I figured it couldn't hurt to get a little extra sun on my face and shoulders, since I have Melanotan in my system and those are the parts I had the hardest time tanning last time.

For ease of calculation, I'm just counting estimated blood levels in 24 hour increments and I'm not trying to estimate actual levels right before tanning. It's just to help give me an idea.

Current estimated Melanotan 2 blood level:
~242 mcg

I took some pics of my freckles and I'm not really sure if they've gotten lighter or not. I feel like they may be slightly less dark from the beginning. Maybe you can help me decide. As long as they don't get worse, and the rest of my skin continues to tan I feel like I'm on track. Here's the pics from before, as well as one from yesterday.

First Appeared - Oct 15, 2015

nose-freckles.jpg

After Tanning - Oct 22, 2015

nose-freckles2-no-arrows.jpg

Now (after a few weeks of no Melanotan) - Nov 6, 2015

2015-11-06-01.17.22.jpg

Nov 8, 2015 - 500mcg | 15 minutes tanning bed
I felt a little nauseous after taking Melanotan but it was gone within about a half hour. I've noticed that I've lost my appetite a bit since I started taking Melanotan again. I wonder if that's how it can cause weight loss for some people.

I haven't really noticed a whole lot of color yet. I'm definitely darker, but I'm not sure if it's much more than I would be if I wasn't taking Melanotan. I'm hoping the effects ramp up over the next few days.

Current estimated Melanotan 2 blood level: ~646 mcg
(Leftover 146mcg from yesterday, plus 500mcg today)


Nov 9, 2015 - 0mcg | 30 minutes outside

I just sat out in the sun for about 30 minutes to help get some extra sun on my face and arms. I'm moisturizing like crazy to help get my skin prepped to tan in a booth tomorrow!

Current estimated Melanotan 2 blood level: ~390 mcg

Nov 10, 2015 - 500mcg | 15 minutes tanning bed

I feel like I got a LOT darker after today's tanning session. I've also noticed that the skin on my face seems a little dry so I'm going to make sure I stay out of the sun tomorrow.

Current estimated Melanotan 2 blood level: ~730mcg
(Leftover 230mcg from yesterday, plus 500mcg today)

Nov 11, 2015 - 0mcg | No UV Exposure

I didn't go outside at all today and I'm just focused on moisturizing so I can get the most color from tomorrow's tanning session. I think the freckles on my face might look a tad darker since starting Melanotan again, but it's hard to be sure. I still want to get darker overall to help cover the freckles if I can. Also I figure if I can get very dark then I'll have at least hopefully a month before I need to use Melanotan again, since it should take a while for the tan to fade. I gained quite a bit of color from yesterday's tanning session, so I'm thinking I'll probably get good results tomorrow too. I see the same lady almost every day at the tanning salon and sometimes I wonder if she's noticed how much color I get from each session.

Current estimated Melanotan 2 blood level: ~440mcg

Nov 12, 2015 - 500mcg | 8 minutes

I haven't noticed any new moles or freckles yet, but I definitely think the ones I already have are darker. I'm not sure if it's because I didn't get any UV exposure yesterday (at all), or maybe it would have happened anyway. I'm kinda kicking myself for not even bothering to go out and sit in the sun for even a few minutes just to make sure my skin is busy tanning and not darkening moles haha. Yesterday is when they first started seeming darker and then they definitely seemed darker when I woke up today. I'm not saying that's how it works, but that's sort of my theory about my own personal reaction to Melanotan.

Today the lady at the tanning salon offered for me to try a stand up tanning booth. The max time for that machine is 8 minutes so that's what she put me in for. I'm really starting to gain a lot of color. Like a lot. I'll take pics soon to share. I also noticed from the estimated Melanotan blood levels that I'm pretty close to as high as my levels will go without increasing my dosage. I definitely don't think I need to. In fact, I'm thinking about winding down this period of Melanotan. I want to keep tanning as long as there's still some in my system, but I'm not sure I'm going to take any more. I'm already so much darker than I was a week ago. I figure if I wait a couple weeks until my tan starts fading and I can work on it again.

To be honest, I'd love to just keep getting darker, but I'm starting to worry about what other people will think if I don't do it more gradually. I don't think my friends would make a big deal out of it but I still worry that they'll think I'm crazy. I'd like to reach a nice caramel brown color but I worry that seems excessive to the outsider. But I always wanted to be that color, and it's so crazy that I'm getting there. I've tried tanning in the past but I've never been able to get this dark. When I'm light skinned I feel like I'm pretty average looking, and no one ever comments on my appearance, but since I've started tanning I've been getting a lot of compliments out of no where! My boyfriend really seems to love it too!

Current estimated Melanotan 2 blood level: ~765mcg
(Leftover 265mcg from yesterday, plus 500mcg today)

[Tuebec]

I'm loving your log, Ann. Thanks for sharing all the pictures and little details. I'm really new to all of this, so your thorough log is super informative for me as I get more educated on all of it. Glad it looks like you're getting good results, and good on you for sticking with the plan that's right for your wants!

[AnnTan]

Nov 13, 2015 - 0mcg | 30 minutes sun

I didn't get a lot of time to get out in the sun today. I feel like I'm looking pretty dark so I think I'm going to stop taking Melanotan for now and take another little break. But I do plan to keep tanning as long as there's still Melanotan in my system. I do want to get darker than this eventually, but I figure I should go at least relatively slowly so it's easier on my skin and I'm not making such a drastic change so fast. I took some pics today and I'll post them soon!

Current estimated Melanotan 2 blood level: ~462mcg

2015-11-13-tan.jpg


Nov 14, 2015 - 0mcg | 8 minute tanning booth

Not much to say. I think today may be the last day in the tanning booth for a while. I might sit out a little bit each day to especially make sure at least my face and neck get some sun.

Current estimated Melanotan 2 blood level: ~279mcg

I checked to see how long it would take to be completely out of my system:

33 hours - 138 mg / 50%
66 hours - 69 mg / 25%
99 hours - 35 mg / 13%
132 hours - 17 mg / 6%
165 hours - 9 mg / 3%
198 hours - 4 mg / 1%
231 hours - 2 mg / 0%

Source: Drug Half Life Calculator - Drugsdb.com Drug Half Life Calculator - Drugsdb.com

So I figure I'll try to make sure I get out in the sun at least once a day for the next 4-5 days.

Nov 16, 2015 - 0mcg

A nose/freckle pic from today

2015-11-16-nose.jpg

[AnnTan]

Nov 30, 2015 - 0mcg

I haven't tanned or taken Melanotan since Nov 14, so a little over 2 weeks. I have such a hard time judging my own color at this point, but I'm sure I'm getting lighter since that's the natural order of things. I don't think I'll need to tan nearly as much to maintain the color I achieved before. Probably this week I plant to take Melanotan, go tanning, go tanning the next day, take a day off, and go tanning once more, for a total of 3 tanning sessions. I'll see if I can get my face out in the sun on the middle day, and the day after.

I've noticed I lose color in my face first, and it's the hardest to tan. I think it may partly have to do with my face care regimen - I wash and exfoliate my face every day. But I'm not willing to give that up since it keeps my skin clear, non-red and blemish-free. I think if I focus on tanning my face every time I should be okay. I barely spend any time outdoors in my normal life, which is why I started as white as a sheet. The "starting pics" from this journal are after I already started tanning. I'm embarrassed to post my "original" pictures before I tanned at all since they're before I started getting into shape.

Here's a current nose pic:

2015-11-29-nose.jpg