about tanning

Tanning With a Jab

Posted: 09 Mar 2009 08:00 AM PDT
Following the Tan Lines
Getting a suntan is considered sexy. Tan lines are hot commodities for beach bunnies. And we are sold on the idea of a slight browning looking very hot. True, tans can be sexy and healthy - if you get them the right way, in the sunshine.
It seems many British tanning salons are using 'tan jabs' to give a little more color to those who need quick tans. The salons use something called melanotan to do the artificial coloring. Melanotan is a synthetic hormone which stimulates the body's production of melanin, the substance that gives the skin its color. Health experts say they are worried about this trend.
Health experts have warned that using melanotan I and II could damage the immune and cardiovascular systems as well as triggering other problems. So far, it seems few are heeding the warning. Quick profits deafen salons to any negative information. And even though it's against the law to do the 'tan jabs', no one is paying attention.
Full story:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7895366.stm