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Ah, the price of beauty. The creams, lotions, tonics. The lengthy series of injections. Um ... wait, what?

It seems that women in the U.K. have turned to black market hormones to give themselves that kissed-by-the-sun, distinctly un-British, tanned look. All you have to do is take a syringe (shudder), fill it with the unregulated drug you bought off the Internet (cringe!) and inject it into your body for at least 10 days (GAH!).

The drug, Melanotan, works by mimicking the hormone that causes skin darkening and facilitates tanning. It was originally created for a skin cancer trial based on the idea that women with naturally darker skin are less prone to the disease.

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Bizarre Spa Treatments

    10. Arctic Ice Room
    The Qua Spa at Caesar's Palace Las Vegas offers an "Arctic Ice" treatment room, where "snow" falls from a domed ceiling through mint-infused air chilled to 55 degrees Fahrenheit.

    Jae C. Hong, AP

    9. Golf Ball Massage
    After hitting the links at Scottsdale's Four Seasons Resort at Troon North, you can have a "therapist" warm up some golf balls, and roll them along the large muscles of your spine and neck.

    Jupiter Images

    8. Doctor Fish Pedicure
    A type of carp called garra rufa, or "doctor fish," are used during pedicures at Yvonne Hair and Nails salon in Alexandria, Va. The fish eat dead areas of the skin, leaving just healthy new flesh behind.

    Jacquelyn Martin, AP

    7. Doctor Fish Pool
    In case you want more than your toes nibbled, you can bail to Chongqing Municipality, China and hop in a Doctor Fish therapy spa.

    China Photos / Getty Images

    6. Gold Facial Treatment
    Japan's Umo Inc. claims that covering the face with sheets of 24-carat gold is an effective (if not cost effective) method of fighting off wrinkles.

    Junko Kimura, Getty Images

    5. Snake Massage
    In the Israeli village of Talmey El'Azar, where reptile farmer/aesthetician Ada Barak uses tangles of king, corn and milk snakes in her massage treatments. Barak claims that find the creatures to be soothing.

    Yonathan Weitzman, Reuters

    4. Nightingale Droppings
    If snakes aren't cuttin' it, you can always rely on ol' fashioned bird poo. Spas such as Shizuku in NYC offer facials with nightingale droppings, which contain an enzyme that supposedly brightens the skin.

    Jewel Samad, AFP / Getty Images

    3. Leeches
    Demi Moore may be using these bloodsuckers for detox treatments, but in the Himalayan region of Jammu And Kashmir, leeches are used to treat a variety of ailments including blood disorders and immunity problems.

    Awar Nazir, Scoopt / Getty Images

    2. Bull Semen Hair Conditioning
    Bull semen conditioner is one of the new offerings of Hari's Salon in London. Hari's claims that the substance, when combined with a protein rich plant root, Katera, strengthens and adds shine to hair.

    Morry Gash, AP

    1. Knife Therapy
    A man cringes as he receives a "knife therapy" massage during a free procedure in Taipei. Local practitioners in this ancient form of massage claim it can cure sinus infections and headaches.

    Steven Wang, AP




It's not approved for personal use here or in England, and known side effects include increased libido (well, hey!) and elevated blood pressure (never mind).

This little routine has actually become so popular that the British government has issued a nationwide alert warning people that maaaaaaybe it's not such a good idea to inject yourself with a strange liquid you got from illegalhormones4U.com. (Of course, the sun can have some ugly consequences too.)

Whatever the next beauty craze is, it will have to be pretty ridiculous to top this one. Maybe something to do with horse urine and a wind tunnel? Just a guess.

Also on Lemondrop: Women love to tan. Just like they love "Sex and the City" and chick lit, right? Check out our gallery of stuff women supposedly like below.


Stuff Women (Supposedly) Like

    Carrie Bradshaw and Co: Women unquestioningly regard Sex and the City's endless chatter about shopping and sexing as a manual for modern life.

    Getty Images

    Catching the bouquet: All girls love weddings, but they especially love diving for the bouquet. It lets them broadcast to everyone in the banquet hall that they're single... but, if they catch the precious stems, not for long!

    flickr.com

    Catcalls: Shouts of "Hey Sweetheart/Mami/Shawty/Beautiful" are the number-one way these creatures are lured into potential relationships.

    AOL

    The Phrase "Biological Clock": Women adore babies (just tote one around your office if you don't believe us). That's why they so enjoy being reminded (at weddings, holidays, baby-showers, etc) that their internal timekeeper is ticking.

    flickr.com

    Sex Advice from Cosmopolitan: Creatively-challenged ladies turn to Cosmo for sage advice on how to trick out their in-bed moves using hair scrunchies, mints, fingernails, donuts (really), and a little something called "The Sofa Spread-Eagle."

    Getty Images

    Diamonds!: Ever since icon Marilyn Monroe cooed that "Diamonds are a girl's best friend," women want the actual diamond (with the 4 C's, of course). Heck, they want the whole extravagant lifestyle, ideally provided by a man.

    Getty Images

    Awesomely Bad Chick Lit: Women just can't get into classics like The Grapes of Wrath. They need softly-hued books with navel-gazing heroines they can relate to. Enter Chasing Harry Winston by Lauren Weisberger and the like.

    Hillary Clinton for President: She's strong and smart, and managed to finagle a marriage to a very hot, very ambitious politico. That's why women rallied behind her and secured that presidential nom. Oh wait!

    Getty Images

    Romantic Comedies starring Kate Hudson: Everyone enjoys watching her hilarious attempts to romance diverse co-stars: Matthew McConaughey, Matt Dillon, Matthew McConaughey. Because when someone annoys us in real life, we too know that deep down, he's sooooo The One.

    Warner Bros.

    Anything by Oprah: Like sheep, women need to be lead by a strong but sympathetic herder. Oprah's show and magazine take the stress out of having to decide what to read, what to buy and which celebrities to worship all by themselves.

    Getty Images