Evidence strength for the context described on this page.
PEPTIDE ATLAS / SKIN & HAIR / AFAMELANOTIDE
FDA-approvedHigh for approved indication
Afamelanotide
ALSO KNOWN ASScenesse
An implanted melanocortin analog for erythropoietic protoporphyria—not cosmetic tanning.
01CATEGORYSkin & hair
02REGULATORY STATUSFDA-approved
03COMMON ROUTESubcutaneous implant
04DOSE BASISFDA-approved label
HOW TO USE THIS PAGE
Read the profile in the order that protects the decision.
- 01Verify what it is
Confirm the exact molecule, route, regulatory lane and actual human evidence.
- 02Read limits before dose
Unsupported claims, contraindications and uncertainty come before any protocol.
- 03Build the monitoring plan
Define the target, baseline checks, reassessment point and stop rules with a qualified clinician.
RESEARCH PASSPORT
The five facts to know first.
REVIEWED
JULY 2026
Status is product-, formulation- and indication-specific.
Trial, label or reported-practice basis is always named.
Official labels, regulators, trials and indexed literature where available.
Peptide hormones, growth factors and related substances may be prohibited.
Check Global DRO ↗OVERVIEW
What Afamelanotide is.
A melanocortin-1 receptor agonist approved to increase pain-free light exposure in adults with erythropoietic protoporphyria who have a history of phototoxic reactions.
HOW IT IS THOUGHT TO WORK
Increases eumelanin production and photoprotective signaling through MC1R activation.
EFFECTS & EVIDENCE
What the evidence supports—and what it does not.
- Increases pain-free light exposure in the labeled EPP population
- Cosmetic tanning in the general public
- Protection that replaces sun avoidance and photoprotection
- Equivalence to melanotan products
Evidence grade: High for approved indication. For an approved drug, “high” refers only to its labeled indication—not every off-label or wellness claim.
DOSAGE CONTEXT
Best available dosing range.
FDA-APPROVED LABELOne 16 mg subcutaneous implant administered by a trained healthcare professional every 2 months under the label.
- Route
- Subcutaneous implant
- Duration
- Repeated at label intervals under specialist care
- Men & women
- No routine sex-based dose.
Clinician verification required. Always double-check the exact molecule or salt, concentration, route, volume, schedule, indication, patient-specific contraindications, interactions and applicable law with the prescribing clinician and dispensing pharmacy. A disclaimer does not make an unapproved product FDA-approved, and a reported-use range is not a prescription.
MONITORING
What should be tracked.
- Full-body skin examination twice yearly
- Pigmentation changes and new or changing lesions
- EPP symptom response
SAFETY
Risks, red flags and reasons to avoid it.
- Implant-site reactions
- Nausea, headache and respiratory symptoms
- Darkening of nevi and freckles
- Serious hypersensitivity has been reported
- Cosmetic use
- Untrained implantation
- Assuming it is interchangeable with melanotan II
Stop and seek careGet urgent medical help for trouble breathing, facial or throat swelling, chest pain, fainting, severe persistent abdominal pain, neurologic changes, severe hypoglycemia, uncontrolled vomiting or a prolonged painful erection.
CLINICIAN VISIT CHECKLIST
Six questions worth bringing with you.
Molecule or analog, salt, concentration, route, manufacturer or compounder, lot and beyond-use date.
Name the diagnosis or target, how it will be measured and the realistic time to reassess.
Ask how it compares with FDA-approved, lower-risk or better-studied alternatives.
Label, human trial, specialty guideline or clinic convention—and whether that route and formulation match.
Baseline checks, follow-up measures, interactions, pregnancy considerations and symptoms that mean stop.
Pharmacy license, prescription, identity/potency testing, sterility controls and who handles a product complaint.
Do not improvise reconstitution or convert “units” without the exact concentration. Mixing, storage and beyond-use instructions are product-specific; confirm them with the dispensing pharmacy.
PRIMARY SOURCES
Read the record yourself.
We prioritize official prescribing information, FDA regulatory material, registered trials and indexed biomedical literature. A source supports the specific statement beside it—not every claim made about the molecule.
PRODUCTS & TREATMENT ACCESS
Use a verified prescription pathway.
Specialty prescription implant for EPP.
A regulated melanocortin therapy exists, but its narrow indication and trained implantation process are the opposite of gray-market tanning injections.
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