Tanning Injections: Risks, Side Effects, and Precautions Research Check: can a new drug really protect redheads from cancer? Your body already makes a hormone that tells your skin to tan. Melanotan 2 is a synthetic peptide engineered to mimic that hormone but in a version that's more potent and longer lasting than Melanotan is trending again. As a dermatologist, I strongly need to tell you , Its an unapproved injectable peptide, and were seeing:, nausea and flushing, darkening of existing moles, Melanotan peptide might seem like the cool thing to doit makes you look tan., But these unregulated injections come with real risks., They can cause unpredictable skin changes, including darkening of