Complete MT 2 Info

Melanotan usage Guide

Basics

What is Melanotan 2?
Melanotan is a type of peptide called a melanotropin peptide which is an analog of the alpha-melanocyte stimulating hormone. This peptide is created and circulated within the skin. Synthetic Melanotan 2 is designed to tan and darken skin.

Melanotan 2 is a smaller and more potent than melanotan 1,it  targets more melanocortin receptors. This new peptide has a protective ring of amino acids which further seperates it from the linear style peptide of melanotan 1, which ensures better absorption.

How is it used?
Melanotan comes freeze dried and sealed in a multi-use sterile vile which is injected under the skin where it binds to melanocortin receptors. These receptors influence things like pigmentation, appetite, skin inflammation, and sexual function.

For practical purposes, this means that those that have fair skin, can achieve a rich, natural-looking tan even if they have an allergy to sunlight. This also means that these peptides make one of the best defenses against skin cancer available, all without spending years trying to develop a tan that will protect the skin.

When taking melanotan to darken the skin, it’s important to remember that the tanning effect is a side effect of the peptide. When UV damage occurs in cells, the body responds by dispatching cells to repair this damage which then tan to protect the skin from further damage. This means that the user’s body is not growing darker but is in fact tanning naturally with help from the peptide.

The Fitzpatrick Skin Chart
In order to fully measure the differences between fairer skin tones and darker ones, the Fitzpatrick skin type chart organizes them into one of six categories, making it easy to identify those who are at greater risk for skin cancer and make keeping track of tanning efforts easy.

It should be noted that using melanotan is an ongoing therapy that will require a starting dosage and further maintenance after that until the user gets to the skin tone that they desire. This can take some time to develop but with a little patience and correct, safe dosage, excellent results can be achieved.

As a Weight Loss Treatment:
Because of it’s effect on fat loss, tanning peptide is also used to aid in weight loss. Since the melanocortin system is important for controlling body weight, the use of melanotan increases oxidation in fatty acids which  improves insulin sensitivity, requiring less food to feel full and helps the body flush out fats.

Who uses melanotan? 
There are many who make use of melanotan: fitness enthusiasts and bodybuilders along with some athletes tend to use these types of peptides in order to increase the efficiency of their training regimen. This is because of the melanotan’s ability to store energy within cells for easy access by the body, making it easier for the body to use them during training.

These peptides have been featured as everything from miracle compounds for weight loss because of their fat loss capabilities, however their use as a skin tanner has also been widely documented. Synthetic melanocortin has been show to help tan skin with the least amount of exposure to sunlight, making them extremely desirable for people who’s flesh is ranked lower on the Fitzpatrick scale.

Because melanotan treatments are so effective (around 1,000 times more potent than naturally occurring melanotropin), many people think that they can begin a melanotan therapy and will be immune to the harmful effects of the sun. Those with blonde or red hair, especially those who are very pale should be careful and protect themselves with sunglasses, sunscreen and basic protections when going out in the sun for extended periods of time. Melanotan requires a bit of patience but users will see dramatic results in longer time.

Using Melanotan 2

Product Dosage and Considerations:
Melanotan 2 is transported and  sold in 10 miligram size. The reason for this is that lower doses ensure freshness and reduces the amount of travel time as well.

When reconstituted with sterile water, the melanotan 2 peptide becomes effective. Reconstituting tanning peptide is a part of the process for use and will require full attention to get proper results. 1-2ml sterile water will reconstitute the peptides. Diluting with more volume will improve dosing accuracy.

How much to Buy:
Depending on the user’s skin type, dosage for a full tanning season (3 months, typically), will vary. These are the most commonly advised dosages based upon skin type according to the Fitzpatrick Scale:
Appropriate 3 month Melanotan 2 dosage after loading phase:

As stated, these doses should last for a full tanning season. However if wanted Melanotan 2 peptide can be used all year round as there is no evidence of any long term side effects. Below, exact dosages will be measured out for individual applications and skin tones.

Getting Melanotan 2

Shipping and Handling: Melanotan peptides are durable and stable when shipped, surviving temperatures up to 98 degrees for almost a month or more. Thus, shipping them during summer months isn’t a problem.
Peptides are very stable but after receiving them, they should be stored in the refrigerator to prevent possible spoilage.

Equipment

Understanding Insulin Syringe:

Volume of insulin syringes is measured in IU (Internation Units)

100 IU  = 1 ML

10 IU = 0.1 ML

Calculating Dosage:

Add 1ml (100 IU) of sterile water to the peptide containing vial. Then the formula itself is fairly straight forward:

0.5mg Dosage:  5 IU (international units)
1mg Dosage   :  10 IU (international units)

Mixing:
The sterile water is added to the vial when the user is prepared to mix it, after which the water is injected into the peptide containing vial. The powder will dissolve into the water and should remain clear.

Needles: 
Typically, insulin needles are to be used to inject or mix the peptide. These needles are 29 to 30 gauge by ½” with a 1 CC (100 units) capacity. It’s possible to use larger syringes, however getting precise measurements can be difficult.

Dosing

Injecting:
Actual injection takes place by pinching the skin loose from the muscle and raising it so that a needle can be inserted between the skin and muscle. This is not a deep injection and melanotan should be injected in the fat layer of the skin.

Starting dose:
The first dosage should be fairly small, as little as .25mg in order to gauge the reaction of the user’s body. This dosage should be taken before going to sleep for to let the peptides work overnight. Any problems that may arise will do so overnight, thus upon waking the user will know how their body will react. Ideally, the user should not feel anything.

Loading dose: 
If no adverse effects have shown up, it’s fairly safe to assume that no problems will occur. After this initial span, loading dosages can be done once per day, consisting of an injection of 0.5 to 1mg. Those who have used doses in this range report getting good results and darkening skin pigmentation. Missing days will not make a lot of difference which will make it easier for people who travel or tend to forget things to keep dosing.

Maintenance dose:
Maintenance doses are taken once the desired pigmentation has been reached and requires much less frequent dosage than once a day. Normally maintenance dose is 2x or 3x your loading dose and is done once a week. Example: Sue was injecting 0.5mg every day and had a sunbed session every other day, after 8 days she was happy with her achieved skin tone, then she stopped taking melanotan daily and maintained her tan by injecting 1mg once a week day before sunbed session. This is maintenance dose, as the name implies, maintain the established color without darkening the skin further.

Lifestyle Changes:
Melanotan is not a completely sunless tanner. Users will still need to be exposed to UV radiation (whether from a tanning bed or actual sunlight) in order to build a tan. Without this exposure, the skin will not tan. However, it should be noted that while taking this peptide, the user’s normally exposed skin (face, arms, hands, etc.) will be tanning quickly whether or not it is intended.

This makes it important to know what areas are exposed and which the user decides they want tanned. Covering these exposed areas when intentionally tanning other parts of the body with a towel or heavy SPF compound (zinc oxide, for example) can keep the pigmentation even while the body darkens. It should be noted that a tan can creep up unexpectedly. Tans generally set in thirty six hours after exposure to UV rays, ergo dosing should be done gradually and carefully.

Dosing Melanotan 2 can be done until the desired pigmentation has been reached, after which time the injections can be cut down to a frequency that will maintain the color and keep side effects to a negligible level. Ceasing dosage for an extended amount of time will return the user’s sensitivity to the peptide, making it easy to reduce pigmentation and then rebuilding the tan to the desired level.

Avoid Burning:
Though tans protect the skin from burning, the melanotan peptide will not protect the skin. This makes it important not to overexpose oneself when first starting the therapy. Starting only with the amount of exposure that the user’s skin can handle without burning. It shouldn’t take long before the user can handle longer exposures to strong sunlight without adverse effects.

Regular dosing is key until the desired pigmentation is achieved, at which point injections can be cut to once every 7 days. Some experimentation will be required to find out how long one can go without loosing pigment. This will become the maintenance dose.

Expectations and Management

Injection:
Unfortunately, injection is the most efficient method of getting the peptides where they need to be in order to produce the desired results.

Skin Types:
A user knowing their skin type in relation to the Fitzpatrick scale is important because it will dictate dosing needs. It should be noted that those who will benefit the most from Melopen are those in the upper spectrum of the Fitzpatrick scale (Types 1, 2 and  3 especially). Those with darker skintones will be slower to see results.

Effectiveness and Duration:
Users will typically see an increase in pigmentation straight away while in the loading phase, users with freckles will notice them getting darker before the actual skin color changes. Tans developed using the peptides will typically last much longer than an ordinary tan, often for months at a time after the user stops getting regular sun. Conversely, natural tanners will lose their tans within a month during that same lack of sun.
Note: There are some users in the higher end of the Fitzpatrick scale who may have to wait many months before getting their desired result. (That’s not to say that they won’t see any result before that, just that fine tuning will take time).

Side Effects:
There have been some side effects reported while using Melanotan 2, typically these effects appear during the first few days of dosing and will become increasingly less obvious as the body adjusts to the peptide. These effects include: nausea, appetite loss, and increased sex drive. In order to combat nausea, an anti-histamine can be taken when injecting until the body gets used to it. But most common way to deal with this is to inject melanotan before bed.