Melanotan 2 Before and After: The Week-by-Week Timeline, and What to Photograph First

Melanotan 2 is the research compound with the most photographed "after" on the internet and the thinnest human trial record behind it. The whole formal literature on tanning with MT-2 is a three-man pilot study from 1996. What exists beyond that is a set of trials of its linear cousin melanotan 1 (afamelanotide) that mapped the pigmentation timeline with reflectance meters, a run of erectile-function trials that quantified the nausea, and a growing pile of dermatology case reports about what happens to moles.

This page uses those sources, and only those, to describe what the data say happens week by week, what a researcher should record before the first dose so that skin change can be judged against something, what the realistic magnitude is, what reverses on stopping and, unusually for a before-and-after page, what should prompt a dermatologist rather than a photograph. The Bureau's melanotan 2 guide covers the pharmacology and the regulatory position; this page is about the timeline.

Where the before-and-after data come from

The 1996 pilot gave three male volunteers subcutaneous MT-2 on alternating days with saline, Monday to Friday for two weeks, starting at 0.01 mg/kg and escalating to 0.025 or 0.03 mg/kg. Two of the three had measurably increased pigmentation in the face, upper body and buttocks one week after dosing ended, by reflectance and by eye, after only five active doses. That is the entire controlled tanning dataset for melanotan 2.

The pigmentation time course comes mostly from melanotan 1, a linear analogue of the same hormone that shares the MC1R mechanism and was studied properly. In the 1991 JAMA trial, 28 men received ten injections over 12 days while wearing high-potency sunscreen; darkening followed a curve that peaked one to three weeks after the last injection. A 2000 study measured eumelanin in skin biopsies one week after a two-week course: up 49% in forehead skin and 98% in forearm skin. A 2004 study found tanning from MT-1 plus sunlight lasted at least three weeks longer than sunlight alone, and the sunlight-only group needed 50% more sun exposure to reach the same colour.

The side-effect numbers come from the MT-2 erectile-dysfunction trials at 0.025 mg/kg, and the mole data come from dermatology case reports and a 2019 systematic review of eruptive naevi. Melanotan 2 has never been through a phase 2 trial for anything, and the Australian regulator's stated position is that its development was halted for safety reasons.

The week-by-week timeline

What to record before the first dose

For most compounds the baseline is about seeing a result. For melanotan 2 it is mainly about safety, because the one thing every dermatology paper on this compound agrees on is that the change in moles during use is fast and hard to interpret without a "before".

• A full-body mole map, photographed region by region under bright even light with a ruler in frame, and ideally a dermatologist's baseline skin check. Case reports document naevi changing within 24 hours of a single dose. If you do not know how many moles you had, you cannot know which are new.
• Close-up photographs of every mole larger than a few millimetres, with a coin or ruler for scale. The 2012 videodermoscopy case showed that the changes under MT-2 mimic the features dermatologists use to flag melanoma; the only defence against that ambiguity is a dated before-picture.
• Standard tan photographs: face, chest, back, forearms and one usually covered site such as the buttock or inner upper arm, same room, same lamp, same white balance, same distance, same time of day. Include a white card or grey card in frame so colour can be compared across weeks. The pilot study saw pigmentation on the buttock without UV, so the covered site is the cleanest measure of peptide effect alone.
• UV exposure log: minutes of sun or bed, per day. The MT-1 trials show UV multiplies and prolongs the effect, so without this log you cannot separate the compound from the sun.
• Fitzpatrick skin type. The JAMA trial found darkening in types I and II as well as III and IV, with different curves. Note which you are; the fair-skinned response in the data is real but slower.
• Weight for dose arithmetic (the trial doses were per kilogram) and because reduced appetite was a consistent finding.
• A symptom log for nausea by dose, flushing, yawning, erections, drowsiness, and blood pressure if you have a cuff.

Realistic magnitude, and what is noise

The magnitude of the tan itself is large and fast; that is not in dispute. Two of three subjects had visible pigmentation after five low doses, and the MT-1 biopsy data show skin eumelanin roughly doubling on the forearm within three weeks of starting. The colour concentrates in the face and in already-pigmented areas first, which is why many researchers describe the first fortnight as "blotchy". That is the pharmacology, not a bad vial.

What is noise: any tan judged in different light, on different days of sun exposure, or on a phone camera with automatic white balance. Skin colour on a phone photograph can shift by more than the whole week-two effect from the lamp alone, which is why the grey card matters. A tan acquired during a sunny fortnight on melanotan is mostly the sun; the 2004 MT-1 data suggest the peptide's contribution is to get there with about a third less UV and to keep the colour about three weeks longer.

What is not noise, and is often dismissed as such, is the mole change. It is the most consistently reported finding in the case literature and it happens on the same timeline as the tan.

What reverses on stopping

The tan fades. Melanin is shed with the epidermis, and without an MC1R stimulus or UV the colour returns towards baseline over the following weeks to a couple of months; the MT-1 sunlight study measured the peptide advantage as "at least three weeks longer" than sun alone. The 2026 oral-mucosa case report gives the only published resolution timeline for MT-2 specifically: buccal pigmentation had nearly disappeared one month after stopping, while gum pigmentation was still visible, though reduced, at three months. Nausea, flushing, yawning and the erectile effect stop within a day or two, consistent with a short-acting peptide.

What has not been shown to reverse is the change in moles. The 2019 systematic review of eruptive naevi says they "seem to persist unchanged after their appearance", with fading reported in some cases over years. A new naevus that appeared in week two is, on the published evidence, more likely to stay than to go. That is the asymmetry a researcher should understand before the first dose: the tan is temporary, the mole count may not be.

Where people misattribute results

The sun's tan as the peptide's. Nearly every before-and-after set is taken across a period of deliberate UV exposure. In the controlled MT-1 data, peptide plus sun beat sun alone, but sun alone still tanned the controls. Without a UV log and a covered-site photograph, the compound's share is unknowable.

Blotchy early pigment as a "fake" or under-dosed product. The face-first, existing-pigment-first pattern appeared in the 1996 pilot at trial-grade purity. Uneven darkening in week two is the expected pattern.

Nausea as a purity problem. Mild nausea was reported at most dose levels in the pilot, and 12.9% of trial subjects at 0.025 mg/kg had severe nausea. That is the compound at pharmaceutical grade. Research protocols reduce it by starting far below the trial dose and stepping up; for a 70 kg subject the trial's 0.025 mg/kg is 1.75 mg per dose, which is several times what most protocols begin with.

Weight loss as a bonus effect. Reduced appetite was recorded in the ED trials and the pilot. It is a melanocortin-4 receptor effect, it is small, and it is not why anyone should run this compound.

New moles as "freckles from the tan". This is the dangerous one. Eruptive naevi under melanotan are documented within hours to days, and the review literature records melanoma in situ and invasive melanoma arising from existing moles during use. A dermatologist cannot tell you from a photograph whether a mole is new; only your baseline map can.

The nasal spray as a milder route. The 2025 case in the International Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery describes mucosal melanoma in a 22-year-old after nasal MT-2 use; the authors raise, without proving, an association. There are no absorption data for the spray in the literature at all, which means the dose is unknown.

Regulatory position and sourcing notes

The FDA warned Melanocorp in 2007 that Melanotan II marketed as an injectable tanning product was an unapproved new drug, and in 2020 cited Melanotan II among the ineligible bulk substances a compounding pharmacy had used. Its current compounding page lists Melanotan II as nominated but withdrawn, with a stated concern about immunogenicity from aggregation and peptide-related impurities. Australia's TGA says supply and advertising are unlawful and has issued 27 infringement notices totalling $101,412 to one supplier. None of that changes the biology; it does mean the product a researcher buys has never been through a manufacturing inspection, and the dose on the label is whatever the vendor says it is.

Research protocols express doses in micrograms; the trial doses were 0.01 to 0.03 mg/kg. The melanotan 2 dosage calculator converts a vial and water volume into syringe units, and the reconstitution guide covers handling; the are peptides safe page puts this compound's risk profile next to the rest of the research class. The Bureau's top-scored source for melanotan 2 at the time of writing is Pantheon Peptides, which links a lab results page from each listing and ships from the US. Check price at Pantheon Peptides See the Pantheon Peptides review for the scorecard, and the PT-141 guide for the related compound that took the erectile pathway forward without the pigmentation.

Melanotan 2 is an unlicensed research compound. The trial figures above come from tiny supervised studies; the case reports are case reports. Nothing here is medical advice, and the Bureau does not advise anyone on using research compounds. Anyone with a changing mole should see a dermatologist regardless of what they have or have not taken.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does melanotan 2 take to tan?

In the only controlled study, two of three volunteers had measurable pigmentation one week after a five-dose course over two weeks. The better-mapped melanotan 1 data show darkening peaking one to three weeks after the last injection, with skin eumelanin up 49% to 98% by day 21. Most researchers see the face and existing pigment darken first, within 10 to 14 days, and a general colour change by weeks three to four. UV exposure made the tan deeper and longer-lasting in every trial that tested it.

Does melanotan 2 work without the sun?

Partly. The 1996 pilot recorded pigmentation on the buttock, a covered site, and the 1991 melanotan 1 trial produced darkening in subjects who wore high-potency sunscreen throughout. So the peptide alone pigments skin. But the 2004 study found peptide plus sunlight tanned more and held the colour at least three weeks longer than sun alone, and sun-only controls needed 50% more exposure to match. Most of the dramatic photographs online reflect the combination, not the compound.

Why does melanotan 2 cause nausea, and does it stop?

Melanotan 2 activates several melanocortin receptors, not just the skin one, and nausea, flushing, yawning and reduced appetite came with it at every dose level in the pilot. In the erectile-dysfunction trials at 0.025 mg/kg, 12.9% of subjects had severe nausea. Researchers report it fades with repeated dosing and returns when the dose is raised, which is why protocols start well below the trial dose. Persistent vomiting is a reason to stop, not to push through.

Do moles get darker on melanotan 2?

Yes, and this is the best-documented adverse effect. Case reports describe existing moles darkening and new naevi appearing within 24 hours of a single dose and within a week of two doses. A videodermoscopy case found the changes mimic features used to diagnose melanoma. A 2017 review counts four reports of melanoma arising from existing moles during or shortly after use. A dated, photographed mole map before the first dose is the only way to know later which moles are new, and any changing mole needs a dermatologist.

How long does a melanotan 2 tan last after stopping?

It fades over weeks to a couple of months as pigmented skin is shed, faster without UV. The melanotan 1 data put the peptide's advantage at about three weeks beyond a sun-only tan. The only melanotan 2 resolution timeline in print is an oral case: cheek-lining pigmentation nearly gone at one month, gum pigmentation reduced but still visible at three months. New moles do not follow the tan out; the review literature says eruptive naevi generally persist once they have appeared.

Is melanotan 2 legal or approved anywhere?

No. The FDA told a US seller in 2007 that it was an unapproved new drug and in 2020 listed it among substances a compounding pharmacy could not use; its compounding page now lists it as nominated but withdrawn, citing immunogenicity concerns. Australia's TGA says supply and advertising are unlawful and has fined a supplier $101,412 across 27 infringement notices, and the TGA reports the compound's clinical development was halted for safety reasons. It is sold only as a research compound.

Research use only. The compounds discussed are sold as research chemicals and are not approved for human use. Nothing here is medical advice.