I have really, really pale skin. Like, so pale that I look at the sun and get a burn. So pale that people I met at a friend’s birthday party knew me as “that red girl” after I spent an unfortunate hour in Central Park without sunscreen earlier in the day. Not good. Today, I read a story about a new drug that an Australian company developed to protect your skin from harmful UV rays AND allow you to get a tan at the same time. Is this too good to be true?

According to an article in The Telegraph, the drug is the size of a grain of rice, and is implanted into the body around the waist. The drug mimics the defense that the body uses to protect itself against sun damage, eumelanin, which is a dark pigmentation. In the process, the drug can darken the skin. Doctors are saying that this is not going to be available for cosmetic purposes, which makes me wonder how they will determine who is eligible to receive the implant.

The protection against cancer-causing sun damage is really appealing to me, but I’m always skeptical about “miracle” drugs like this. Would you be willing to have this drug implanted for protection, or for a better tan?