Sunless princess,
 
First it is disheartening to hear of your troubles and I'm sorry to read of your difficulties. Clinical trials have been performed by Epitan (now called Clinuvel) that demonstrated that melanotan-1 reduces UV skin damage. I've responded to your Skin Thickening/Wrinkles post here with citations about this.
 
-Scott

I will post pics soon...I just don't have much time. I hear what everyone is saying and I can't say that I didn't have the wrinkles before...although I am an avid Sunless tanner and everytime I was tan with that product you couldn't see the wrinkles. I do understand that it is a surface color which may not show up as much. I have NOT tanned my face once since I have been loading but I still have quite a few wrinkles and puffy eyes that were never there (maybe thickening, I don't know.) I have tanned my lower body a total of 3 times and when I push the skin together it is very rough looking. My only theory is that since most sun damage occurs in younger years (up to age 15 or so) I wonder if the damage was there but now that we are using a chemical that is increasing this "protection" in an unnatural way, we are actually aging our skin. Yes, fair-skinned people tend to have thinner skin which is interesting when you see fair people who go out in the sun alot have worse skin. Those that are naturally dark don't have as much damage. My biggest concern is the large number of people that have posted this "aging" phenomenon. No, you can't get wrinkles in "two months" BUT I would wonder if you can bring up years of previous sun damage from a peptide in a short amount of time?

SoulFinger I am interested in what you have said because you mentioned that you used Melanotan II. Sunless, you also used Melanotan II in conjunction with melanotan-1. At this point, I have not heard of this "skin aging" experience with other melanotan-1 users. I'm wondering now, at this point, if it was I or II that caused these problems.

Quote from Bronceado on 04/15/08 at 00:51:26:

 
yes, i've used melanotan II, which is probably why it happened so quick since it is so super-potent.
would it have happenend with melanotan-1, i don't know.  
i'm not even a 100 %, it's these peptides at all, but still have to make that connection, since it all happened after using it.
i even thought about cycling with melanotan-1, just for further sun-protection and maybe a little color, but i'm in my skin-rebuilding-phaze right now, so i will have to see.
i sure miss my latino-complexion tho

K, here's the most recent pic. I look unbelievably exhausted and this is every day for me. I am going to do some research on this peptide...I think that the wrinkles were probably there but as the dermal layers of skin darken, they become more ponounced. As I look back on photos of when I was pale I see somewhat of the lines just less pronounced. I am not going to blame this product fully but I do share in everyones grief (those that feel they look aged that is) because there are soooo many people on this forum that speak of it. I really hope more research pops up because I would hate to be causing irreversible damage when all I wanted was a SAFE tan. It is ridiculous.

another one...

Quote from josephdarling on 01/02/08 at 23:49:39:
nice results but you looked like you have aged. I took melanotan II for a couple of years and I think my skin aged faster than normal. Can this be possible?  
 
It does. It is not only the fact you expose yourself to more UV. It is something with the peptide.  
 
 
 
 
 
Quote from Bakks on 11/29/07 at 02:07:02:
I've been using melanotan II for about 18 months now. In this time I've found that my skin seems to be rougher and I guess a more "aged" look. Has anyone else found this? I'm not sure if its just in my head, a result of extra sun exposure without suncreen in order to get dark quick, or a common problem.  
 
Any comments?  
 
Combination of melanotan II and sun exposure definitely speed up aging of your skin. At least that counts for type 1.

Gobo,
 
   I just don't understand where people are getting their information...so many people are speaking of that "aged" look and are stating that Type I's are more likely to have an adverse reaction with the peptide but where is the research coming from? It would be helpful to get clinical studies or proof since we all have different experiences. There is no way it can be a combo of melanotan II and sun because I do not tan my face at all so how does that work?
 
Bodom,
 
  No problem friend! Always here to help and we are all in this crazy experiment together. I just hope we aren't causing irreversible damage. Another side note...I just went through the most horrific tme of my life and stress is sooo high which is why my skin is struggling. HOWEVER, I do feel that the skin thickness shows more wrinkles. I now know for a fact that they were there before (I looked at past pics up close) but they weren't as noticeable. The darkening and the thickening play a huge role. Now, my question is...if we remove the damage by TCA peels or microdermabrasion, will it come back as long as we are loading? Or, is it a one-time thickening effect? That would be very good news since peels and microderm can eliminate years of damage...the down side is that it is pricey and not worth it if the peptide continues to thicken skin.

Quote from Sunless_Princess on 04/16/08 at 05:29:16:

 
I would watch yourself with such treatments if you are actively tanning your skin (regardless of taking one of the melanotan peptides or not). Please read this thread which discusses scarring relative to tanning in general.  
Sunless_princess, if you have not already done so then I would strongly recommend you consult with a dermatologist (preferably one with knowledge of the melanotan peptides) regarding your concerns here. You'll likely learn quite a bit about how UV radiation plays a role in damaging the skin and also learn about what would be the proper course(s) of action to take in reducing the aged appearance of your skin that you're talking about here.
 
-Scott

another confusing thing to me is one time i hear skin is THINNING with age, then i hear skin is THICKENING with age, so whats really the deal?
i always thought, because of the thinning wrinkles form more easily?
also could it be, that even though your skin is really thickening with this peptide, its not because its thick with collagen, elastin, ect. but really just melanin? i'm confused
i really regret not investing in a cam, so i could document every thing, but looking at your pics, sunless princess, thats where i feel i am, even tho my starting skin type is darker so subsequently my results are more pronounced.
and it seems, its a combination of things, like the freckles and moles, that make the skin look more 'unclear', then the more visible wrinkles, and then just the darker color in general. don't you think, that darker skinned people look more 'mature' in general?
so yes, don't give up, i'm sure we'll soon find the perfect balance between a beautiful skin-color, sun-protection and 'anti-aging'!