Melanotan 1 results in human trials are real but specific. In early injection studies, healthy volunteers’ skin darkened without sun exposure, peaking 1 to 3 weeks after the last dose.[1] In a 2006 trial, melanin rose by an average of 41% in fair-skinned people who burn easily.[5] As the Scenesse implant (afamelanotide), it is FDA-approved only for a rare light-sensitivity disorder, where it increased pain-free time in direct sunlight.[7] Products sold online as “Melanotan 1” are not Scenesse, and their results have never been tested.[17]
This guide covers what trials measured, how long the effect lasted, and why online before-and-after photos are a poor guide. For background, see our Melanotan 1 profile, Melanotan 1 side effects, Melanotan 1 vs Melanotan 2 and the sexual health peptides hub.
What “results” means for Melanotan 1
Melanotan 1, also called afamelanotide, is a lab-made copy of alpha-MSH. It binds the melanocortin 1 receptor on pigment cells and increases eumelanin, the brown-black pigment, whether or not the skin sees sunlight.[7] Two kinds of result have been studied:
- Tanning: how much darker skin gets, measured with skin-reflectance or color instruments.
- Light protection: whether the extra pigment protects people with light-sensitive conditions, which is how it became an approved drug.
Tanning results in early human studies
The first tanning trials were run at the University of Arizona, followed by a larger trial in Australia:
| Study | Who | Regimen | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| JAMA, 1991 | 28 healthy white men | 10 injections over 12 days, or placebo | Skin darkened in both poor and good tanners; no darkening on placebo[1] |
| 1997 | 3 men | Injections of 0.08 to 0.21 mg/kg, 5 days a week for 2 weeks | Tanning of the forehead, arms and neck[2] |
| 2000 | 7 volunteers with skin that tans | 0.16 mg/kg daily on weekdays for 2 weeks | Darker skin at 3 of 8 sites; forearm eumelanin roughly doubled[3] |
| 2004 | 3 small studies | 0.08 or 0.16 mg/kg with UV light or sunlight | More tanning with sun, lasting longer[4] |
| 2006 | 65 fair-skinned volunteers in Australia | 0.16 mg/kg for three 10-day cycles over 3 months | Melanin up 41% in easy burners, 12% in easy tanners[5] |
Key findings:
- It works without sun. In the 1991 trial, everyone used high-strength sunscreen, and skin still darkened on the peptide but not on placebo.[1]
- Fairer skin changed most. The largest increases came in people with the lowest starting melanin.[5]
- Sun adds to it. In 2004, volunteers getting the peptide plus sunlight tanned more on the back, and the tan lasted at least 3 weeks longer than in sun-only controls, who needed 50% more sun time to match.[4]
- Less sunburn damage. In the 2006 trial, sunburn cells after UV exposure fell by more than half in fair-skinned volunteers, and a type of UV DNA damage fell by 59%.[5]
Taken by mouth, the peptide was not absorbed.[2]
How long the tan lasts
- Onset: with injections, darkening was measurable by the end of a 2-week course.[3] With a single Scenesse implant, a small 2026 study in 9 healthy adults found melanin density had risen slightly after 6 days.[6] In 5 people with solar urticaria, melanin rose by day 7 and peaked at day 15.[15]
- Peak: 1 to 3 weeks after the last injection in the 1991 trial, and about 1 week after dosing in 1997.[1][2]
- Duration: still visible 3 weeks after the last dose in 1997,[2] and still raised at day 60 after one implant.[15] The European Scenesse label says the darkening gradually fades unless another implant is given.[16]
Before and after: what trials measured
People searching for Melanotan 1 “before and after” pictures usually find photos of unregulated products. Those cannot tell you much:
- No control group. Trials compared the peptide with placebo; a photo cannot separate the peptide from sun, sunbeds or self-tanner.[1]
- Lighting and cameras change skin color. Researchers used chromaticity and reflectance instruments for that reason.[1][5]
- Unknown product. A 2017 dermatology review noted that how unregulated melanotans are made, stored and dosed is uncertain, so one person’s vial may not match another’s.[17]
Results in EPP, the approved use
Erythropoietic protoporphyria (EPP) is a rare inherited disorder in which light exposure causes severe pain. Two randomized phase 3 trials of the 16 mg implant every 60 days were published in 2015:[8]
| Trial | Patients | Length | Pain-free time in direct sunlight (median) |
|---|---|---|---|
| US | 94 | 6 months, 3 implants | 69.4 hours vs 40.8 hours on placebo |
| European Union | 74 | 9 months, 5 implants | 6.0 hours vs 0.8 hours on placebo |
In the EU trial, phototoxic reactions also fell (77 vs 146), and quality of life improved in both trials.[8] The US label, which uses a slightly different analysis, reports a median of 64.1 vs 40.5 hours for the 6-month trial.[7]
Real-world results in EPP
- Italy and Switzerland: 115 patients used 1,023 implants over up to 8 years. Quality-of-life scores rose from 31% of the maximum to about 74% and stayed there; only 3 patients felt it did not meet expectations.[9]
- Switzerland, 2016 to 2018: in 39 patients, median time in sunlight before a reaction rose from 10 minutes to 180 minutes, and 97.4% stayed on treatment.[10]
- Austria, 2023: in 20 patients, it rose from 15 to 250 minutes, and the share with any reaction fell from 88% to 33%.[11]
- Germany: in 200 patients, quality of life rose significantly and 91% stayed on treatment. Several authors were paid by or received support from the maker, Clinuvel.[12]
Vitiligo and other conditions
- Vitiligo: in a trial of 55 adults, adding monthly afamelanotide implants to narrowband UV-B light therapy gave 48.6% repigmentation by day 168, versus 33.3% with light therapy alone. Color returned faster on the face and arms, and the benefit was clearest in darker skin types (IV to VI).[13] A 200-person phase 3 trial is listed as active but no longer recruiting.[14] It is not approved for vitiligo.
- Solar urticaria: in 5 patients with this sun-triggered hives condition, one implant reduced hive size across a range of light wavelengths after 60 days.[15]
Is there a Melanotan 1 dosage for tanning?
No approved one. Research tanning studies used 0.08 to 0.21 mg per kg injected under the skin, usually on weekdays for 2 weeks, under supervision.[2][4] The only approved dose is one 16 mg Scenesse implant every 2 months for EPP, placed by a trained professional.[7] Any use should be decided by a clinician.
Questions to ask a clinician
- Do I have a condition, such as EPP, where afamelanotide is approved?
- What safer ways are there to protect my skin or even out my color?
- How often should my moles be checked if I tan easily or have used melanotan?
This is general information, not medical advice.
