I’m scarred for life after overdosing on 100 tan injections
(...but I still use sunbeds)
MUM Chantelle Tolson’s skin is dying and turning black around the edges of abscesses gouged across her stomach.
It looks like she has leprosy or gangrene but, in fact, her wretched condition was caused by tanning injections.
The call-centre worker, 26, was so desperate to get a tan that she turned to an illegal skin-darkening substance dubbed the Barbie drug — Melanotan 2.
She injected herself in the stomach and side more than 100 times in four months.
It caused lumps which burst, leaving dying flesh and wounds which will scar her for life. But, shockingly, though she has now given up the injections she is still using sunbeds.
Chantelle, from Castleford, West Yorks, says: “I used to think I was ugly without a tan. I was so desperate I tried everything without thinking about any possible health risks.
“I did it all for vanity but now I am covered in scars for the rest of my life.
“There need to be more warnings for people buying these, and the risk needs to be clear.
“Doctors told me my skin is going black on the wounds because it is dying, as well as the flesh around it. It’s disgusting.”
Experts say demand for Melanotan 2 has risen over the past year, especially in the north of England, Scotland and Ireland.
The synthetic hormone works by stimulating pigment cells in the skin, causing them to produce more of the melanin that gives skin its colour. It has not been tested for human use.
Other side-effects can include acne, stomach pains, sickness and even heart problems.
But Chantelle had no clue about any of the dangers — and in fact thought the injections would be healthier than the sunbeds she had used since she was 21.
She says: “I had eczema and really fair skin and when someone told me to try sunbeds to cure it I thought I’d give it a go.
“I had a six-minute session and immediately my skin began to clear up and I had a nice glow. I started going every week.
“I got a bit obsessed. I realised I looked much better with a bit of colour. It gave me confidence.”
She says: “There isn’t much sun in West Yorkshire but I wanted an all-year tan. I knew sunbeds weren’t good for you but I wasn’t too bothered about that.
“I had used spray tans but they didn’t work, it would flake off due to my eczema.”
Within a month Chantelle was giving herself a sunbed session every other day.
She says: “I’d buy blocks of 60 minutes for £20. I burnt myself a few times and I have a few moles on my skin I kept an eye on but I loved having a tan.”
Then, in November 2011, she and her security guard partner Les Frost, 42, found that they were expecting their first baby.
She knew the sunbed sessions had to stop but when Lilly-Anne was born in July 2012 Chantelle returned to tanning.
She says: “I’d heard of tanning injections, as my mate said she’d been using them.”
In November last year Chantelle purchased her first £25 box of Melanotan 2 vials from a pal who had bought them online.
She says: “I watched some online videos about how to inject safely, but I was still nervous.
“The first time I injected into my stomach and it worked fine. After a couple of injections my skin started darkening.”
Chantelle injected herself three times a day, every day, for a week, then gave herself five days off before injecting again. She also went back to using sunbeds every other day.
Two weeks after her first injection, Chantelle made a terrible mistake.
She says: “After about 20 injections I accidentally injected 5ml rather than 0.5ml. Within hours I had terrible stomach pain, worse than contractions during pregnancy. It was like having the worst flu imaginable.
But just three days later Chantelle began injecting again.
She says: “I really wanted my tan back and thought it if I was more careful I would be OK.
“In total I bought four bottles of Melanotan 2 and injected myself 100 times.”
In March Chantelle’s body started to show the strain. She says: “I found two lumps on my side. I went straight to the doctor and was prescribed antibiotics and told to stop injecting.”
Chantelle followed the advice, but it was too late. She says: “I kept getting new lumps and they got bigger until they burst. Pus would gush out and leave me with giant abscesses.
“I’ve been on antibiotics five times. They help initially, but the lumps come back again.”
Chantelle has now been referred to a dermatologist.
She says: “I did it all for vanity but now I am covered in scars. I haven’t used injections for six months, but it has only got worse. I’ll be scarred for life.”
But, incredibly, Chantelle is still a regular at the tanning salon. She says: “I still feel like I need a tan. I can’t give up the sunbeds.”
Additional reporting: JOE MELLOR
‘Skin cancer more likely’
DR CAROL COOPER, Sun Doctor, says: “It is incredible that people are willing to risk their lives for a tan by injecting an illegal drug.
“Side-effects of Melanotan 2 include nausea and vomiting. Users face high blood pressure, heart issues and blood disorders.
“The jab makes moles darker, which could lead to skin cancer.
“Anyone who uses a sunbed is around 20 per cent more likely to develop malignant melanoma. Those who use sunbeds before 35 are 87 per cent more at risk.”