Implant Helps Those With Skin Diseases, and Gives Them a Tan Too

Dermatologists say while it's too early to know how safe Scenesse will be in the extensive run, results beginning early clinical trials show promise, "It's definitely novel," said Dr. Elma Baron, a dermatologist at University Hospitals Case Medical Center in Cleveland, "So far, it's be safe and effective."

While it may show some benefit against EPP and other skin diseases, the defensive effect may not extend to all conditions, "There's no proof it be able to be effective for skin cancer," said Dr. Michel McDonald, director of Cosmetic Dermatology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, who worries that rising the levels of melanin could increase the risk of developing melanoma, though there's no evidence of that yet.

The drug was once accessible as an injection, but the effects didn't last long, One side effect of the drug is its ability to make skin darker since of the melanin but doctors warn there is no indication right now that it might be a safe way to tan.