This message is a bit of a rant, but is related to my experiences with Melanotan II experimentation and I thought it would be worthwhile to share my thoughts.
 
Let me offer some advice: don't tell your friends you're planning to take a drug that will allow you to tan. If you insist, however, don't mention that it's not FDA-approved. Finally, if you've come this far already, for chrissakes don't mention that you're going to be self-injecting this drug. That's not to say you shouldn't inform someone of what you're doing. It's an inherently dangerous proposition, and someone ought to be around who knows what's going wrong if you need to go to the emergency room.
 
Why? It's simple. Anyone who cares about you (and also--not so coincidentally--can themselves get a tan) will be genuinely aghast at the idea you'd risk your otherwise perfect health in such a reckless endeavor. They will be shocked and appalled at your vanity, your stupidity, your egoism. In short, they will have no empathy, and I mean NO empathy for your motivation.
 
It's helpful to explore motivation, and I've been thinking about mine a lot. Being tan is not a big deal in NYC. It's not like living in Arizona or Rio de Janeiro, where people literally worship the sun. When I'm in downward facing dog in yoga class, I can spot a sprinkling of people in the class as pale as I am. People here don't make a big deal about the color of your skin. Many people go whole months without seeing the sun. I mean this is NYC, people would barely have the time to spare a passing glance if you had two heads. Aside from the odd week or weekend in a tropical vacation spot, it would not appear that I have a good reason to want a tan.
 
Except I do. And I want one badly enough to justify the risk of injecting myself with some non-FDA-endorsed, synthetic drug. And I won't try to justify my desire by squaring off the potential risks of the drug against the potential risks of skin cancer. In all honesty, I want a tan for its cosmetic benefit.
 
Not having a tan your whole life--and much worse--not being able to get one despite your best efforts, is not unlike Chinese water torture. Many small social cues, each laughable and harmless in and of itself, combine for a devastating cumulative effect. "Oh my God, you're so white!", "wow, you make me look tan!", "I've never dated anyone before who was so white!", "ooooh, looks like you need some sun...", "put your shirt back on, you're blinding us!". Just examples of the endless litany of friendly, joking remarks. Fact is, it's not socially unacceptable to make fun of someone's lack of tan because everyone assumes it's easily remedied. Just a quick jaunt in the sun, and you'll be fine. If you can manage to convince someone that you really can't get a tan, they are quick to point out that they really don't mind that you don't have a tan--and they don't. Then they assure you that nobody else minds either--and they're convinced of it. So, nothing to worry about! That settled, white person placated, off comes their shirt, and they're busily baking in the sun...hard at work on the tan that nobody would mind if they themselves didn't have.
 
Your friends are not being completely honest. For starters, people do care about tans. A good tan implies vitality and wealth. People find a golden tan attractive at first glance. Does having pale skin mean people will not find you attractive? Of course not. In a place like NYC, it's a small piece of the overall beauty equation. However, it is clearly a factor. People notice it, and as previously mentioned, often feel obliged to comment on it. Your friends and significant others are so sure of themselves when they consider the question of your skin tone because they know it's a small thing and probably actually remember occasions where they've teased you about it and meant nothing.
 
Unfortunately, understanding that people don't really care that I'm pale isn't enough. It doesn't allow me to happily proceed with my life, forever unkissed by the sun. The problem is that these small but constant reminders have been filtering into my consciousness for the past 30-odd years. The message from advertisements, movies, brochures, beaches, ballgames, playgrounds, locker rooms, friends, girlfriends, you-name-it is the same: "wow, what a great tan!" It's the congratulatory refrain reserved for members of the tanning set, of which I would never otherwise be a part.
 
It is hypocrisy for someone with a tan to tell me my experimentation is mere vanity. Is it reasonable for a man with a full head of hair to accuse his balding friend of vanity for using propecia? How about a woman with C cups accusing her friend with a boy's chest for wanting a breast augmentation? We're not talking about botox to get rid of wrinkles--wrinkles that all of us will get as we age. We're talking about addressing a lifelong deficiency--a condition that never fails to elicit at least a mild lambasting at the hands of modern society's aesthetic.
 
I am a cynical person. As such, I find plenty to ponder in this situation. Of one thing I'm absolutely certain: when this drug becomes commercially available, virtually every person who has expressed dismay to me over my usage will have a prescription. This thing will be huge--most people, even those who are tanner than I will ever be on this drug, want to be tanner still.

Thanks, snowhite. Glad you enjoyed the posts. I introduced the topic of my experimentation to a table with two editors, a novelist, a child psychologist and an engineer and the sh*tstorm that resulted was an awakening to say the least. People were literally screaming. Well, I certainly don't like being accused of excessive vanity, regardless of whether there might be real merit in the claim. I pondered and came to conclusions that I felt I should pass on to this list.

AMEN BROTHER. Here's to hoping the melanotan II works
 
 
 Succinctly put, my mutated receptors tell my naturally-produced alpha-MSH to f**k  
 off.  
 
 
That gave me a good laugh

Awesome post - worthy of a newspaper or magazine article. One thing I have always used as defense to ignorance about the drug is that it has been around for close to 14 years and it has passed Phase I/II human trials which means its non-toxic to the human body and it works. That should shut down any BS that might get flung your way.

Thanks for the pic and congrats on the tan!  So you took injections EOD, right?  Also, how much melanotan II was in your system at the time of the pic exactly?

I took injections every day. I weigh about 180, but took slightly more than the recommended dosage. I took 1mg/day, and the tan in the photo is at day 25. My face (even with spf 15 face lotion) got the darkest fastest. My arms were right behind, followed by my back and stomach. Legs are the slowest by far.

any possible way to get a picture out in real sunlight?
 
(great results by the way)

That pic makes me so d..m jealous!  Honestly, I wish I was even half as tan as you, Spencer.  But I am happy for ya.

QSilverTwo: believe me, if I got a tan, so can anyone. My friend and my sister, both as white as I am, started the drug also. They did about 15 days and ran out of melanotan II. They didn't get even slightly tan. Nothing. It comes down to those extra 5-10 days, I think. There is always the chance that neither of them would tan at all, but since my sister has the exact same complexion as I do, I heavily suspect it comes down to consistency and quality of the peptide. Both of them are going to try again, so I'll keep you posted.

spencer-
 
great results!!  were you as freckly prior to the drug than you are in that photo??