Peptides are quickly becoming a popular wellness hack for people looking to boost their immunity, longevity, or general health. Unfortunately, these largely unvetted products aren’t without their potential dangers, as a recent case report illustrates.

Doctors in Illinois and Michigan detailed a 46-year-old man with a previous history of skin cancer who bought the peptide Melanotan-II to help with his tanning. Five weeks after he started using the drug, he developed a new melanoma lesion, they reported. Though the cancer appeared to be localized and was removed successfully, this case isn’t the first to suggest that Melanotan-II and other peptides bought without a prescription can cause serious complications, the doctors say.

“The unregulated procurement and use of synthetic analogues pose significant public health risks, particularly given the ease with which misinformation spreads on social media,” they wrote in their paper, published late last month in JAAD Case Reports.

Melanotan-II is the synthetic version of a naturally produced peptide called alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (a-MSH). This and similar hormones are named melanocortins for their role in stimulating melanin production, which helps control skin pigmentation. But these hormones actually have many different functions, from regulating our hunger to promoting sexual arousal.

A refined and more selective version of Melanotan-II, called bremelanotide , is currently approved to treat low sexual desire in women. Melanotan-II, however, remains unlicensed for any indication. That hasn’t stopped people from using unregulated sources of the peptide, usually to induce sunless tanning, lose weight, or improve their sex drive.

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