A glimpse into the underground market of melanotan.

Melanotan-I and melanotan-II are alpha-melanocyte stimulating hormone (a-MSH) analogues that can be purchased illicitly online with relative ease and are injected subcutaneously to stimulate a tan. Little is known about the use of these unregulated substances. An observational survey was posted to an online forum in which participants share their experiences using melanotan-I or melanotan-II. Users were asked to complete this voluntary, anonymous survey, which had questions focusing on motivation and hesitation for and against using melanotan, difficulty in acquiring it, and plans for continuing to use melanotan in the future.

Dihydroxyacetone: A Review.

The sunless tanning industry has experienced rapid growth due to public education on the dangers of ultraviolet radiation on skin and improvements in products. Dihydroxyacetone (DHA) is a 3-carbon sugar allowed by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as a color additive in sunless tanning products. Bronzers, a product removed with soap and water, may also contain DHA. We aim to review the literature on DHA. DHA is intended for external application, not including the mucous membranes or in or around the eye area. DHA has been used in spray-tan booths and by airbrushing it onto consumers, although these are unapproved uses, as contact with the color additive is not restricted to the external part of the body. Consequently, the FDA recommends customers shield their eyes, lips, and mucous membranes, as well as refrain from ingestion or inhalation of DHA. Unlike sunscreens, products that protect against ultraviolet radiation and are regulated by the FDA as non-prescription drugs, sunless tanning products are regulated as cosmetics and cannot provide any protection from exposure to ultraviolet radiation. There are reports of non-cosmetic uses of DHA that are not FDA approved. With the wide-spread use of DHA, additional studies on its safety are warranted.

J Drugs Dermatol. 2018;17(4):387-391.

Immediate pigment darkening and persistent pigment darkening as means of measuring the ultraviolet A protection factor in vivo: a comparative study.

BACKGROUND: Persistent pigment darkening (PPD) is a widely used in vivo method for measurement of ultraviolet (UV) A protection factor (UVAPF). However, with increased emphasis on UVA protection and sunscreen products with higher UVAPF gaining popularity, the immediate pigment darkening (IPD) method is drawing attention again. Furthermore, only about a quarter of the recommended quantity of sunscreen is used during daily activities. However, there is as yet no clearly defined relationship between the UVAPF and the amount of sunscreen applied. OBJECTIVES: To analyse the differences between the IPD and PPD methods, and to establish a relationship between the quantity of sunscreen application and the UVAPF. METHODS: Different doses of sunscreen were applied on the back of 15 healthy volunteers, and the UVAPF was measured using both the IPD and the PPD methods. RESULTS: Both methods proved to be effective for measuring the UVAPF. However, all the UVAPF values determined by the PPD method were lower than those determined by the IPD method. Additionally, an exponential relationship between the amount of sunscreen applied and the UVAPF was observed. CONCLUSIONS: The IPD method can also be used as an appropriate endpoint in the determination of UVA protection. It is time saving, and thus considerably lowers the risk of UV exposure, particularly when testing sunscreen products with higher UVAPF. We further state that in order to achieve the desired protective effect of the sunscreen, the quantity of application is also very important.

Foundations and self-tanning products: Do they provide any protection from the sun?

As soon as the weather turns sunny, everyone wants a tan. People with skin phototypes III and IV, called melanocompetent, have no problem meeting this fashion requirement. But things are quite different for people with phototypes I and II and so these individuals look for alternative solutions. In essence, light skin burns easily when exposed to the sun. Therefore, light-skinned people are offered a cosmetic solution through self-tanning products or foundations. It seemed interesting to us to evaluate the sun protection power of this type of product. To do this, we used an in vitro method to determine the typical indicators related to sunscreen products, such as sun protection factor (SPF), ultraviolet (UV)-A protection factor (PF-UVA), UV-B/UV-A ratio as well as the critical wavelength because these artificial tanning products could be considered sunscreen products by users. It is important to know whether a self-tanning product and/or a foundation provide sun protection and whether they meet the standards set for other sunscreen products. Protection which is imbalanced for either UV-B or UV-A radiation is potentially harmful for users believing themselves adequately protected. To do this, we assembled the requisite conditions for forming melanoidins in the cosmetic itself. We tested seven amino acids found in the corneal cells of the epidermis. Regardless of the amino acid used, the corresponding SPF was essentially zero (approximately SPF 2). Foundations, on the other hand, proved to be much more interesting because they possess a non-negligible SPF as well as good photostability making these products safe in terms of their mode of application (applied once daily).