Urgent warning to Scots over popular nasal tanning sprays

AN URGENT warning has been issued to Scottish beauty fans over a “dangerous” popular tanning product.

Medics have urged people to stop using nasal tanning sprays as demand for the products continues to soar across the UK.

People looking for a bronzed glow use Melanotan nasal spray or injections because it claims to darken the skin when exposed to UV rays.

The sprays, dubbed the ‘Barbie drug’, are untested in the UK, and beauty fans claim it makes the skin noticeably darker after just a few jabs or sprays.

It is made with “melanotan-2”, which is an artificial hormone that can accelerate tanning, and is illegal to use and sell in the UK.

It has not been cleared by the Government’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), despite the agency ensuring that medicines are safe and effective.

But experts are warning that melanotan and melanotan-2 should not be advertised and could cause significant health problems.

Not only can the sprays potentially lead to cancer, but it can also cause breathing problems, infections and abscesses.

If you have used Melanotan, you should stop. We encourage everyone to own their natural skin tone, but if you really want a tan, it’s safer to use fake tan from a bottle or get a spray tan

Beth VincentUK health information manager at Cancer Research UK

Kaz Rahman, a plastic surgeon consultant told STV News that it can cause life-long problems.

They said: “The general risks that everyone seems to report is nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, sexual dysfunction, problems with your palpations and anxiety.

“There are more severe complications as well so there have been documentations of kidney failure, sometimes related to muscle necrosis and brain swelling.”

The nasal sprays have been around for almost two decades, with health agencies across the globe first issuing warnings back in 2007.

However, it has not stopped thousands of beauty fans from buying the illegal sprays, with sales growing steadily every year.

It is also promoted on countless social media platforms like TikTok and X, formerly known as Twitter.

However, guidelines on TikTok have revealed that numerous accounts have been banned for promoting its use.

And experts have said that people can buy these products online, making it easy for them to be able to get their hands on it.

It’s illegal to use and to sell it in the UK, yet people can easily buy these injections online… It hasn’t been regulated as a medicine and this makes it dangerous. It is unregulated stock and you don’t know what you’re injecting

Dr Emma Craythornefrom the British Association of Dermatologists

Dr Emma Craythorne from the British Association of Dermatologists previously told the Sun: “In many ways, it sounds like a great thing to take. You can get a tan and lose weight while taking it.

“It causes the body to make more of a pigment called eumelanin.

“It’s this pigment that makes your skin appear tanned.

“Normally it is a response to damage to DNA caused by ultraviolet radiation.

“The injections stimulate the body so it can make more of the pigment and faster.

“But the side effects I have seen in some patients have been longterm nausea and vomiting, suppression of your appetite and sexual dysfunction.

“It’s illegal to use and to sell it in the UK, yet people can easily buy these injections online.

“The main problem is that this medication is untested for safety.

“It hasn’t been regulated as a medicine and this makes it dangerous.

“It is unregulated stock and you don’t know what you’re injecting.

“You don’t know how sterile it is or the ­conditions it has been made in.

“And as it uses needles, there is always a risk of infection.”

‘I’LL NEVER USE THEM AGAIN’

A TANNING fanatic was left with a large facial scar after years of sunbeds and trying an illegal nasal spray led to a terrifying cancer scare.

Amy Murphy, from Barrhead, East Renfrewshire, admits her quest for a bronzed glow was “stupid and daft” after a dark mole appeared on her cheek.

The dog groomer had first started going to the tanning cabs aged 19 before trying Melanotan nasal sprays in 2020.

She said: “I felt reassured because other people were using them and I’d seen their results.”

But Amy was easily able to pick up a £25 bottle and used it every day for three weeks, alongside a sunbed up to twice a week.

But just months later, friends and family spotted a dark mole on her face.

Amy immediately got in touch with her GP and was referred to the dermatology unit at the Queen Elizabeth University hospital.

Just weeks later she underwent an operation to remove the growth before a biopsy confirmed she had a melanoma in situ – where cancer cells are present in the top layer of skin but have not yet grown into the deep layers.

She then returned for a second surgery to remove more skin and has been left with a three-inch scar down her face.

She told the Scottish Sun: “I’ll never use them again, and will always be wearing my factor 50. It’s just too risky. I’ll stick to fake tan now.”

Read Amy’s story here.

Beth Vincent, UK health information manager at Cancer Research UK, said anyone who has been using the sprays should “stop” immediately.

She told STV News: “Melanotan nasal sprays and injections are illegal in the UK.

“They have not been tested for safety, quality or effectiveness, so it is not known if using them causes side effects or how serious they might be.

“If you have used Melanotan, you should stop.

“We encourage everyone to own their natural skin tone, but if you really want a tan, it’s safer to use fake tan from a bottle or get a spray tan.”