Melanotan Dosage Here Means Amounts Tested in Studies
Early studies raised the amount over several days
Dorr's Arizona team helped make MT-II to darken skin. In 1996, its first human test lasted five days and included 3 healthy men.
Researchers raised the amount once each day and based it on body weight. Skin darkened in 2 of 3 men, while higher amounts brought more nausea and sleepiness [3].
In 1998 and 2000, men received both MT-II and a placebo at separate visits. The placebo was an inactive shot used for comparison.
Erections occurred in 8 of 10 men in one study and 17 of 20 in another [5][6]. A separate 2000 study of 10 men found erections lasted about 45 minutes with MT-II.
With placebo, they lasted about 1.9 minutes [7]. These small studies are all the controlled human tests of MT-II amounts.
No larger later study has been completed. That leaves you without stronger proof for your own choice.
Skin color readings changed after several weeks
A skin-color meter found changes after 2–4 weeks of daily shots under the skin [3]. The time until skin color changed comes from Dorr's small 1996 study.
People using MT-II on their own often said a tan appeared sooner. Skin may start making pigment before a meter can show a clear change.
A 2021 paper examined 623 online posts written by 205 people [23]. The writers called their use research, but they weren't enrolled in a controlled study. No trial checked their tanning times.
The posts involved unknown amounts, different time in the sun, and unchecked products. They can't predict when your skin would change.
Blood lost the drug before skin lost the color
In the 1996 human study, darker skin was still measured 4–6 weeks after the last dose [3]. The time differed, so your starting skin shade may matter.
In people, half the MT-I in blood was gone in under 2 hours. Rat tests found that MT-II also left the blood fast [17][18].
Skin cells kept making pigment once blood no longer held the drug. This explains why your color could last longer than the drug [17].
The studies don't show a lasting color change. Without more drug or sunlight, your skin tended to move back toward its starting shade.
Melanotan color wasn't shown to last for good
The studies don't show that the color lasts for good. A small human test measured darker skin for 4–6 weeks after the last dose [3].
A 2012 report followed a 16-year-old with a family illness tied to many moles and skin cancer. Her moles and skin grew lighter three months after she stopped MT-II [14].
A 2026 report followed one person who used 400 millionths of a gram. After use every other day for 64 days, some mouth color faded by 28 days, though gum color remained at 3 months [24].
Fading may differ with your skin, mouth tissue, sun habits, and length of use. These few cases can't give you a firm timetable.
Skin color and erections lasted for different times
Skin color stayed darker for 4–6 weeks after dosing stopped [3]. In rats, blood cleared the drug fast while pigment cells stayed at work [18].
The erection studies used one shot at each visit. Those visits give you no answer about long use.
In 1998, a gauge showed the penis at least 80% firm for about 38 minutes with MT-II [5]. A 2000 study found about 45 minutes with MT-II [7].
Blood tests showed the drugs left quickly
- MT-I in people, 1997. MT-I left the blood fast after a shot, and none reached blood when swallowed [17]. Skin still stayed darker for 3 weeks [17].
- MT-II in rats, 1994. MT-II left the blood in two stages after going into a vein [18]. The first fall was fast, followed by a slower clearing stage.
- By mouth. Only 4.6% of swallowed MT-II reached rat blood [1]. No measured MT-I reached people's blood when swallowed [17].
Blood clearing can't predict how long your skin color lasts. Pigment cells may stay active after blood has cleared the drug.
Melanotan shots were studied, but nasal spray wasn't
Researchers gave these drugs in several ways. The method matters to you because it changes where a drug goes.
- Shots beneath the skin. All early human MT-II studies used this method [3][5][6][7]. The ring slowed breakdown after the drug entered tissue under the skin.
- Into a vein. Rat studies used a vein to track how fast MT-II left blood [18]. Another rat study used a vein while testing female mating behavior [20].
- Into the brain. Rat hunger studies placed MT-II in the brain through a small tube [8][9]. No human study used that method.
- Melanotan nasal spray. No controlled trial has tested this form. A 2025 report described a 22-year-old woman who developed mouth cancer after using an unlicensed spray [25].
Irish and UK drug agencies warn you about unlicensed nasal products. The report can't prove the spray caused her cancer; happening first doesn't prove the cause.
- Slow implant under the skin. Approved MT-I care for EPP uses an implant. A 16 milligram implant releases the drug over 60–120 days [15].
Lab tests kept mixed Melanotan II cold
Some lab work began with dry MT-II powder. Researchers put 1–2 milligrams into each milliliter of liquid, a very small lab measure.
They kept the mixture at 4 degrees celsius, about as cold as your kitchen refrigerator. Those figures describe lab work, not a home plan for you.
The ring helps MT-II resist being broken apart inside your body. Even so, repeated freezing and thawing may damage the drug.
Researchers closely controlled the cold in their tests. That care can't tell you what an unlicensed product contains.