Melanotan 2 Reconstitution Calculator

Melanotan 2 (MT-2) is a synthetic, cyclic 7-amino-acid analog of α-MSH, the hormone that signals through melanocortin receptors. Its tanning effect comes from switching on MC1R in the skin, which shifts pigment production toward darker eumelanin — but MT-2 is non-selective and also hits MC3R, MC4R, and MC5R, which is why a single injection can affect appetite, blood pressure, and sexual arousal alongside tanning. It does stimulate pigment somewhat independently of sunlight, though moderate UV during the early "loading" phase deepens and speeds the result — which is also where the skin-cancer concern enters.

It's sold as a lyophilized powder, usually in 10 mg vials, so add bacteriostatic water down the vial wall, swirl gently, and don't shake. As a worked example, a 10 mg vial with about 1.33 mL of bacteriostatic water gives 7.5 mg/mL, so a 500 mcg dose is roughly 0.07 mL — about 7 units on a U-100 insulin syringe. Doses are usually started low, in the low hundreds of micrograms; if such small volumes are hard to measure accurately, using more water gives a lower concentration and an easier-to-draw dose. Keep the reconstituted vial refrigerated and use it within a few weeks.

These three melanocortin peptides get confused constantly but aren't interchangeable. Melanotan 1 (afamelanotide) is a longer, MC1R-selective peptide that's actually FDA-approved as Scenesse — a clinician-inserted implant for the rare disorder EPP — and mostly just affects pigment. PT-141 (bremelanotide) is MC4R-selective, FDA-approved as Vyleesi for low sexual desire in women, and barely tans. Melanotan 2 is the non-selective one that does a bit of everything, and unlike the other two it isn't approved for anything.

The most common effects are nausea and facial flushing, and in men MT-2 can cause spontaneous erections; it also suppresses appetite and can raise blood pressure. The concern that stands out, though, is dermatological: MT-2 darkens existing moles and can trigger new ones, and there are case reports linking its use to mole changes and melanoma diagnoses. Because of that, anyone with a personal or family history of skin cancer is generally advised to avoid it, and having a dermatologist monitor moles is a reasonable precaution for anyone using it.

Melanotan 2 is not approved by the FDA or any other regulator for any use — it's an unapproved investigational compound sold as a research chemical, and its manufacturing quality on the grey market isn't guaranteed. It's specifically banned in Australia and New Zealand, several European countries have acted against vendors selling it as a tanning product, and it's prohibited in competitive sport under WADA. Because this is a genuine health-and-safety question rather than a settled one, it's a decision to make with a clinician rather than from a vendor's website.