Source comparison
Melanotan-2 Tanning Protocols: Loading vs Maintenance Comparison
Loading (Initial) Daily 0.25–0.5mg Visible color by day 3–5; plateau by weeks 3–4 Nausea (30–50% of users), flushing, decreased appetite 21–28 days Maintenance (Sustaining) 1–2× weekly No further deepening; sustains plateau color Minimal to none after acclimat
This comparison does not assign a generated winner or score.
- Loading (Initial)
- Daily
- 0.25–0.5mg
- Visible color by day 3–5; plateau by weeks 3–4
- Nausea (30–50% of users), flushing, decreased appetite
- 21–28 days
- Maintenance (Sustaining)
- 1–2× weekly
- No further deepening; sustains plateau color
- Minimal to none after acclimation
- Ongoing (indefinite)
- Aggressive Loading (Advanced)
- 0.5–1.0mg
- Faster plateau (14–18 days) but higher side effect incidence
- Severe nausea (60–70%), spontaneous erections, mole darkening
- 14–21 days
- Minimal UV Co-Exposure
- Daily MT-2 + 3× weekly sun (15 min)
- 0.25mg MT-2
- One shade deeper than MT-2 alone; plateau at week 2–3
- Same as standard loading + sunburn risk if overexposed
- Professional Assessment
- Loading dose should not exceed 0.5mg daily for first-time users. Higher doses increase adverse event rates without meaningfully shortening timeline. Maintenance at 0.25mg 2× weekly sustains color with negligible side effects in 85–90% of users.