‘I’LL CARRY ON INJECTING TAN’
ATANNING addict who injects an illegal drug into his body every day says he will “keep on jabbing” despite warnings it could kill him. Karl Dinis, right, recently appeared on a Channel 5 documentary called Tantastic: 50 Shades of Orange in which he described his use of a drug which stimulates the production of the tanning pigment melanin.
The untested synthetic drug Melanotan 2 is not approved by the UK Government’s Medical and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency but Karl said having a tan makes him feel confident.
The nanny began his tanning obsession at the age of 17 when he started using sun beds which he would use every day. He gave them up at the age of 24 but in 2009 he was introduced to Melanotan 2 injections.
Karl, 33, from Llanishen, Cardiff, said: “At first it did make me feel quite ill. It makes you feel quite sick, gives you a headache and increases your libido. I felt awful but after three to four days of taking it, it’s in your system and you’re fine.
“That’s pretty much how it went and I’d boost it up with a sunbed. When the weather is nice I’m like a solar panel because I can go out and come home a different colour.”
A bottle of Melanotan 2 is equal to around 10 injections but Karl takes at least one injection and before the filming of the documentary he double dosed.
Over seven years he estimates he has spent around £10,000, including £2,400 alone last year, on injections which he bulk buys from China.
Talking about why he goes to such extremes to be tanned, Karl said: “I used to go on the sun bed and I would go brown but it would fade. Now I just have to take a quick leg injection in the morning.
“It makes me feel a lot better, confident and healthier. I don’t think I’d be as confident without the tan.”
Karl recently appeared on This Morning with Dr Sara Hayet, who explained that Melanotan 2 had not been given a licence and was “illegal to supply to the market”.
She said there could be a whole host of potential side-effects that were not known about.
But Karl said: “I don’t feel concerned because what the doctor said on This Morning, I have heard it all before.
“I personally can’t see that it’s doing anything to my health; I’m only putting stuff into my body that is already there.
“I will stop when I know what it’s doing to me. There’s been no testing in the UK so no one knows. I’ll keep on jabbing.”
Speaking about the documentary, Karl said he was shocked after scenes of him injecting were broadcast.
“Seeing it all being done was shocking and the scene of me injecting was quite graphic.”