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Strong human trialsFDA approved as Scenesse

Melanotan 1 dosage

Also known as: Afamelanotide · Scenesse · MT-1 · MT1 · Melanotan I · [Nle4, D-Phe7]-alpha-MSH · NDP-MSH

Updated 28 sources

Every Melanotan 1 protocol on file, 8 in all, labelled by where each number came from. 1 have titration steps, each step is worked out in U-100 units for a 10 mg vial + 2 mL water.

Calculate with Melanotan 1Melanotan 1 overview

Melanotan 1 dosage by goal

Grouped by goal. Each protocol shows the amount, how often, cycle and rest as the source states them, with every titration step.

EPP2

EPP, Scenesse label

Amount
16 mg
How often
One implant every 2 months; in the EU 3 implants a year are recommended, 4 at most
Route
SubQ, other form

Who: Adults with a history of phototoxic reactions from erythropoietic protoporphyria (EPP). Not established in children.

Timing: Before and during periods of strong sunlight, for example spring to autumn (EU).

Note: Inserted above the front hip bone (anterior supra-iliac crest) by a trained professional using a special cannula; watch the patient for 30 minutes. Sun and light protection continue during treatment. The label says every 2 months; the phase 3 trials gave an implant every 60 days.

EPP, phase 3 trials

Amount
16 mg
How often
One implant every 60 days: 3 implants in the US study, 5 in the EU study
Route
SubQ, other form
Cycle
180 days (US) or 270 days (EU)

Who: Adults with EPP in two randomized placebo-controlled trials (US 94 patients, EU 74).

Note: Pain-free direct sun time over 6 months was a median 69.4 hours vs 40.8 on placebo in the US study.

Tanning5

Tanning, early trial injections

Amount
0.08 to 0.21 mg/kg
How often
Five consecutive days a week for 2 weeks (10 doses)
Route
SubQ, vial (powder)
Cycle
2 weeks

Who: Three healthy men in a 1997 pharmacokinetic and tanning study of daily injections (before the implant existed).

Note: Tanning peaked about 1 week after the last dose and was still visible 3 weeks later. Oral doses gave no detectable blood levels.

Tanning, loading (guide)

Amount
0.25 to 1 mg
How often
Once daily in the evening: 0.25 mg for 3 to 5 days, then 0.5 to 1 mg for 10 to 14 days (up to day 21 for fair skin)
Route
SubQ, vial (powder)

Who: Adults using unregulated research vials.

Timing: Evening. Pair with 10 to 20 minutes of sun or a short sunbed session 2 to 3 times a week from about day 4 or 5, stopping short of any pink.

Titration steps for Tanning, loading (guide)
WhenDoseU-100 units (10 mg vial + 2 mL water)
Days 1 to 50.25 mg5 units · 0.05 mL

Note: The guide says MT1 runs at about double the MT2 dose and that more than 1 mg a day mostly adds flushing. Never swap MT1 and MT2 charts.

Tanning, maintenance (guide)

Amount
0.5 to 1 mg
How often
2 to 3 times a week
Route
SubQ, vial (powder)

Who: Adults after an MT1 loading phase.

Tanning, loading (community)

Amount
250 to 1,000 mcg
How often
Daily for about 2 to 3 weeks, with regular sun
Route
SubQ, vial (powder)

Who: Self-reports on r/Melanotan2, the active melanotan sub, 2026.

Note: Common pattern: 250 mcg for a few days, then 500 mcg. Some run 1 mg a day for 20 days. Users say they chose MT1 over MT2 for fewer side effects and fewer dark moles, and most pair it with regular sun.

Tanning, maintenance (community)

Amount
0.5 mg
How often
Twice a week
Route
SubQ, vial (powder)

Who: Self-reports on r/Melanotan2.

Other protocols: injected1

Tanning and UV protection, trial courses

Amount
0.08 to 0.16 mg/kg
How often
Daily for 10-day courses; the 2006 trial ran three 10-day courses over 3 months
Route
SubQ, vial (powder)
Cycle
10 days per course

Who: Volunteers in a 2004 series of small Arizona trials and a 2006 trial of 65 fair-skinned adults.

Note: At 0.16 mg/kg, melanin rose 41% in people who burn easily and sunburn cells fell by more than half. These trial doses are many times higher than community vial doses. The 2004 series also ran 0.16 mg/kg 5 days a week for 4 weeks with sunlight.

Doses shown are what sources report, labelled by origin. Not medical advice.

Melanotan 1 dosage chart by vial size

Units to draw for the doses sources cite most, at every vial size and water volume.
Melanotan 1: concentration and U-100 syringe units for each vial size and water volume
WaterStrength0.25 mgdose, units0.5 mgdose, units1 mgdose, units
10 mg vial
1 mLCompetitor guide10 mg/mL2.50.025 mL50.05 mL100.1 mL
2 mLCompetitor guide5 mg/mL50.05 mL100.1 mL200.2 mL
Units are on a U-100 insulin syringe (100 units = 1 mL). U-50 and U-30 barrels read the same units.Water volumes from

Doses shown are what sources report, labelled by origin. Not medical advice.

Calculate with this peptideYour vial, your water, your dose: Melanotan 1 in syringe units, with the math shown.

Mixing Melanotan 1

Diluent: Bacteriostatic water

Water volumes sources use: 1 mL, 2 mL

Research vials only; the Scenesse implant is never mixed. At 5 mg/mL (2 mL), 0.25 mg is 5 units and 0.5 mg is 10 units on a U-100 syringe. Label the vial with its concentration so MT1 and MT2 charts never get mixed up.

Melanotan 1 dosage questions

What is the Scenesse dose?

One 16 mg implant inserted under the skin above the front hip bone every 2 months, by a trained healthcare professional. In the EU, 3 implants a year are recommended and 4 is the maximum, timed for the sunny months.

How much Melanotan 1 do people inject for tanning?

One guide uses 0.25 mg daily for 3 to 5 days, then 0.5 to 1 mg daily for 10 to 14 days, then 0.5 to 1 mg two or three times a week. r/Melanotan2 users mostly run 250 to 500 mcg daily, some 1 mg, then 0.5 mg twice a week. Trials used far more: 0.08 to 0.16 mg/kg a day.

How many units is 0.5 mg of Melanotan 1?

With a 10 mg vial mixed with 2 mL of bacteriostatic water (5 mg/mL), 0.5 mg is 10 units on a U-100 insulin syringe and 1 mg is 20 units. With 1 mL of water, halve those numbers.

Sources for these doses

13 sources, each checked by date. Record updated Oct 24, 2026. Numbers are restated in our own words and labelled by where they came from.

Regulatory3

  1. Scenesse (afamelanotide) implant prescribing information, current labelDailyMed · checked Oct 24, 2026
  2. Scenesse (afamelanotide) prescribing information, revised 2024FDA · checked Oct 24, 2026
  3. Scenesse EPAREuropean Medicines Agency · checked Oct 24, 2026

Competitor guide2

  1. Melanotan 1 Dosage Guide: Chart by Skin Typepeptidesexplorer.com · checked Oct 24, 2026
  2. Melanotan I (10 mg Vial) Dosage Protocolpeptidedosages.com · checked Oct 24, 2026

Community-reported4

  1. r/Melanotan2 comment pc2l2fwr/Melanotan2 · checked Oct 24, 2026
  2. r/Melanotan2 comment pdpahlcr/Melanotan2 · checked Oct 24, 2026
  3. r/Melanotan2 comment p8nir0mr/Melanotan2 · checked Oct 24, 2026
  4. r/Melanotan2 comment pbz8yk8r/Melanotan2 · checked Oct 24, 2026

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