Tanning enthusiasts are being warned away from tanning injection Melanotan. The drug, which costs around £250 for a course, is illegal in the UK.

Recent reports have shown that the tanning injection’s popularity is on the increase, partly because some people are looking to keep their all-year tan without the cancer risks associated with tanning beds. However Melanotan can leave users looking as though they have been “Tango’d”, a reference to the popular bright orange fizzy drink.

Melanotan, colloquially often known as the jabbatan, is usually sold as a powder. Users must then mix this powder with sterile water before injecting themselves daily until their skin has reached the desired colour. Once this colour has been reached, users must inject Melanotan once a week to keep their tan topped up. Melanotan works by tricking the skin into producing melanin which darkens up the skin. A common side effect of the tanning injection is also said to be an increase in libido.

Health experts have warned that Melanotan is not a safe option for those looking for an all-year-round glow as the injections can lead to the shape and appearance of moles changing quickly and this means that skin cancer may be wrongly diagnosed or missed. Trials of Melanotan in the US were stopped over concerns that the jabs were dangerously increasing blood pressure in some patients. The lack of testing means that the tanning injection has never been licensed in the UK.