Injections of a substance similar to a hormone naturally produced in the body appear to give people a tan with minimal sun exposure, new research suggests. “It took one-third or less of the normal amount of sunlight to get a very deep tan,” study author Dr. Robert T. Dorr told Reuters Health. Moreover, the injections also appeared to offer some protection from sun-related skin damage, according to the report in the Archives of Dermatology. During the study, people were given ten daily injections of melanotan-1 (MT-1), a synthetic version of a hormone that triggers the production of the natural skin pigment melanin.
