TikTok users are being warned against participating in dangerous beautification trends and strategies including inhaling tanning products, undertaking contouring using knives and using illegal sun beds, due to devastating side effects and potential health conditions.
Slater and Gordon Public Liability Lawyer Lily Boskovski said young people, especially women, are falling prey to social media influencers promoting inhaling or snorting the synthetic hormone Melanotan to fast-track their summer glow.
“Melanotan is being pushed as a quick way to tan your skin but it’s actually an incredibly unsafe and unregulated product,” Ms Boskovski said.
“There have been previous warnings issued by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) following reports of people injecting melanotan and other related tanning products, due to the serious side effects.
“Buying a product like this online is extremely dangerous as melanotan is a prescription-only medicine and you do not know what other chemicals the product may contain.
No one should be risking their health and wellbeing for the perfect tan. It pays to question what is being promoted online and to only use a drug if it has been prescribed by a health professional for a specific health condition.”
Side-effects of melanotan include darkened skin, increased moles and freckles, nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, flushing of the face, involuntary stretching and yawning and spontaneous erections, according to the TGA.
In the UK, side effects such as acne, kidney, brain and heart problems have been reported.
Ms Boskovski said millennials and Gen Z should be cautious when trying out risky beauty trends promoted on social media platforms.
“Some women have been badly scarred and left with permanent injuries as a result of fat freezing procedures gone wrong, both in clinics and at home,” Ms Boskovski said.
“If risky treatments like this are not performed correctly and safely by a professional who has received proper training, they can do more harm than good. There have been cases of people suffering from burns and other injuries which may require corrective surgeries.”
