'I'd rather die than be pale': Man risking his health with illegal tanning injections says he can't stop and wants them available on NHS

A man who is risking his health thanks to his addiction to illegal tanning injections says he would rather die than be pale-skinned.  

Ryan Ruckledge, 22, from Blackpool, regularly injects himself with Melanotan - a synthetic hormone that makes the skin turn darker - before enjoying his six sunbed sessions a week. 

The jabs are currently unregulated and experts say they could cause side effects including depression, nausea, high blood pressure and panic attacks.

Ryan Ruckledge, 22, from Blackpool, pictured on today's This Morming regularly injects himself with Melanotan so his fair skin will tan when he uses a sunbed

Despite suffering from many of these symptoms - and once even being hospitalised because he thought he was having a heart attack - Ryan says he won't stop having the injections.

Speaking on today's This Morning, he said: 'I would rather be dead because otherwise my personality would be dead. I couldn't walk down street if I was pale, I couldn't physically function.'

The telesales worker - who once auditioned for The X Factor - told TV presenters Phillip Schofield and Christine Bleakley that he heard about the injections from a friend after sunbeds were failing to give him the tanned look he desired.

He explained: 'At school I was really pale as I am fair skinned. People would say to me "'you are so pale" and I hated being pale. Half the people I saw in magazines were orange and brown so it went from there.

'I started using sunbeds at the age of 15 but I just used to burn and peel so I stopped. Then a friend recommended the injections to me.'

Tan-addict Ryan: NHS injections would help 'insecure' people

Ryan told TV presenters Phillip Schofield and Christine Bleakley that he's rather be dead than pale

The telesales worker says he hasn't thought about the long term effects to his health by having the injections and using sunbeds regularly as he's currently enjoying life thanks to being tanned 

He said that thanks to the jabs, which he purchases from illegal sellers, he can have six sunbed sessions a week where he his skin tans instead of burning. 

Ryan said: 'I can't imagine my life without them. Without them I would be ghostly pale, see through.

'I wouldn't love life without these injections, I would not be confident or have the confidence to do the things I do.'

Ryan says the nausea, stomach cramps, dizzy spells and panic attacks he has had since taking the jabs are not enough to put him off. 

'I couldn't go out and walk down the street unless I have these injections because I hate being pale. I would have to stay in and miss parties,' he explained.

He added that even the risk of death doesn't dissuade him and he hasn't considered the effect on his long-term health as he's currently living for the moment.  

The 22-year-old, pictured left auditioning for The X Factor in 2013, said he wouldn't have the confidence to walk down the street without a tan so he can't live without tanning injections(file photo of self injection, right) 

What is Melanotan?

NHS Choices explain on their website... 

• Melanotan increases the levels of the pigment melanin in the skin. This pigment is part of the body's natural response to the sun, and increasing levels of melanin results in skin darkening or tanning.

• Melanotan is not legal. It has not undergone the stringent safety and effectiveness testing that all medicines have to undergo before they can be licensed for use.

• Using non-sterile water to prepare the injections can cause serious blood infections, and sharing needles spreads blood-borne diseases such as HIV and hepatitis. Injections by untrained individuals can cause skin and tissue damage, and might result in permanent or life-threatening injury.

• Intentional tanning in the sun or using sunbeds should be avoided as they accelerate skin ageing, and can lead to skin cancer.

• Stop using the products immediately. Consult your GP and tell them if you think you have had an adverse reaction to Melanotan, if you may have used a shared needle, or if you have re-used needles. 

'We could all be gone tomorrow. I could slip on a drink in a night club, hit my head and that would be it. 

'No-one knows what round corner,' he said. 'I just love life at the minute with my mates.'

When asked why he couldn't use fake tan products instead, Ryan said: 'I'd smell of biscuit and it goes streaky. It's not natural and when it comes off and I look in mirror and see myself pale, I don't like the way I look.'

He added that he has run up thousands of pounds worth of debt in order to have the tanning jabs, as well as other beauty treatments including Botox and teeth whitening.

But he said he wouldn't be in such debt if the government legalised the tanning jabs and made them available on the NHS.

He believes many pale-skinned people could benefit from the product being investigated.

He said: 'This injection means when you come into sun you don't burn so it could prevent skin cancer, it could be beneficial.

'I'm not just vain, I burn myself because I can't get a natural tan. It should be tested and looked into more. The government needs to look into it.'

He has made a direct plea for this to the Secretary of State for Health tweeting: '@Jeremy_Hunt where's my tan jabs and Botox.'

Despite the lack of knowledge around the long term health effects of injecting Melanotan - and the fact he is risking skin cancer with the frequent sunbed use - undeterred Ryan says he's addicted to tanning and won't quit.  

'I'd rather walk around with gravy smeared on my face than be pale,' he said.