London: Want to have a tan but without using sunbeds? You can do that now, as scientists have developed a tiny chip the size of a rice grain which they say can give you a three-month tan once implanted under the skin.
Developed by Australian pharmaceutical company Clinuvel, the implant stimulates the production of melanin, a naturally occurring pigment that controls the colour of the skin and how much UV radiation is absorbed.
By releasing the chemical, the skin would become darker and could resemble a healthy bronzed tan, the researchers said.
Although the implant was initially created to alleviate skin conditions, the experts believe it could be taken up by the beauty industry, the Daily Mail reported.
Lesley Rhodes, professor of experimental dermatology at Manchester University, said that the implant could become an alternative method of tanning.
"Potentially, it does offer an alternative to commercial sunscreens and there are lots of senior scientists who are convinced it's safe," she was quoted as saying.
Professor Rhodes stressed that more research into the long-tern side-effects of using the implant would been to be done until it could be rolled out onto the market.
The makers of the chip said they developed it to help patients who suffer from skin disorders.
But, the chemical implant would also help those organ transplant patients whose anti-rejection drugs increase the risk of skin cancer, it said.
The implant has received recognition from Cancer Research UK, and they have acknowledged its potential to prevent malignant skin cancer and reduce the risks of sunbeds.
In a statement, Clinuvel said: "To date, Clinuvel has spent over USD 80 million developing the Scenesse implant drug product as a therapeutic photoprotective drug for patients who are most at risk from UV and sun exposure.
"Scenesse has a relatively short half life (less than 50 minutes) and trials to date have raised no serious safety concerns; thus far the drug is well tolerated by patients. The implant drug product has been chosen for its ease of use in dermatology."
An estimated three million people a year use sunbeds and any products that could improve tanning are likely to be popular. Millions more use spray tans.
If the implant is used in the cosmetics industry, it would be following in the footsteps of Botox, which started out as a muscle relaxant before being used in anti-wrinkle treatment.
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