The latest social trend is to spray your nostrils with a substance that promises a perfect tan. A practice that slips quickly, in the form of advice, from the mouth of alleged “influencers” to the ears of thousands of followers, especially very young ones. A phenomenon, that of tanning nasal sprays, born as a premise to a summer that, after two and a half years of pandemic, wants to be “free” at all costs. But dermatologists do not like this at all, who have already taken a stand to denounce “the danger of this remedy aimed at speeding up tanning at the expense of health“.
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The English phenomenon
Il Mail on Sunday, one of the most widely read English Sunday periodicals, dedicated an article denouncing the phenomenon. Because precisely in Great Britain, thanks to the micro videos on TikTok, several nasal sprays not authorized by drug agencies are spreading successfully, which promise to promote tanning all year round.
They have several trade names (Turbo Tan, Mellow Tan) and can be bought on the web for a few tens of pounds. They use melanotan, an artificial hormone originally developed against sexual dysfunction, but which as a side effect tans the skin quickly. So, after inhaling the hormone with the spray, you expose yourself to the sun or a tanning lamp to activate it and it seems that in a short time the skin darkens.
The promotion of influencers
Many influencers, photos in hand that show the change before and after the treatment, after having obtained free packs from the various brands, have published the results on social networks.
And Bethan Kershawfamous for her participation in the MTV reality show Geordie Shore, which praised the Real Tan spray to her 700,000 followers, at Georgia Foxwho posted a video for her 84,000 followers as she inhaled the product, tanned, and then launched her slogan “one nasal spray a day keeps paleness away.”
The alt of dermatologists
And the position of dermatologists was not long in coming. They don’t just turn up their noses: they say a convinced “no”. Among these is the doctor Marcella Ribuffo, dermatologist at the IDI institute in Rome, as well as president of Lilt Rome and its province. Which premises: “This product is aimed above all at a young audience, which has no defenses. Because a product that is sold on the web through a social channel can only be dangerous”.
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What the spray contains
Ribuffo goes into the merits: “This spray contains the Melanotan 2 molecule, a peptide produced by our pituitary gland. The spray that originally uses it was designed for erectile dysfunction. It comes in the form of different brands and trade names, but the molecule is the same. It has spread to Great Britain, where it is not licensed by the drug agency and is sold to promote tanning. “
And this is not the only case of a substance designed to cure a disease and then used for something else. “For example, for more than 20 years finasteride has been used for prostatic hypertrophy, and it has been seen that it made hair grow – continues the dermatologist -. Only in the case of the tanning spray the procedure is more dangerous: after inhalation of the hormone contained in the drug, is advised by the influencer to expose themselves to tanning lamps, or to the sun. And this increases the risk of skin cancer “.
The side effects
However, there are no clinical protocols on the nasal spray that tans and no certain side effects are known. “The substance, in its primary use, ie against sexual dysfunctions, has side effects: vomiting, migraine, dizziness, pressure changes are listed on the package insert – underlines Ribuffo -. If used for tanning, as well as for solar lamps, it is carcinogenic, because it stimulates in an impetuous way by imposing drastic changes in the structure of the cells “.
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According to the dermatologist, “another disturbing aspect of this story is the superficiality with which substances and methods that can threaten our lives are marketed and recommended, given that we are facing a possible melanoma, which is one of the more aggressive tumors “. Then, he adds: “A second aspect to consider is that with these nasal sprays people are encouraged to increase exposure to the sun, risking sunburn and erythema. A habit that, together with that of using tanning lamps, represents a factor of risk: remember that on the package insert of this drug indicated for erectile dysfunction no other uses are prescribed. Therefore it is off-label, that is any side effect that may arise from the use of the nasal spray for other functions, such as tanning, is punishable by law “.
How to tan safely
So how to get a safe tan? “The sun is good for you, but you have to be educated to take it in the right way – explains Ribuffo -. You have to understand the underlying mechanism: if you gradually tan you cause damage to the epidermis that can be repaired, because our skin is able to do so. But if the damage cannot be repaired and accumulates over time, the risk of carcinogenesis increases. So they can cause an increase in skin melanomas. “
How long can you stay in the sun? “From one hour to two, but gradually and always with protection, which also covers the back of the nose, auricle and scalp – concludes the dermatologist -. sun from 11 to 16, just do it gradually with the use of protective products. One thing is certain: undergoing tanning lamps and a sun bed does not prevent sunburn: the erythema phase is bypassed, but the damage is inevitable “.