No study exists about topical dutasteride/finasteride???

[LulzKiller]

How can this be? These drugs have been out for so long, and no one has thought to make a perfectly logical study to determine if applications of these drugs get absorbed systemically (using blood tests to determine systemic absorption).

 

[cal]

There's a lot of consensus that topical finasteride gets systemically absorbed too much to be worth it. You might as well just pop the pill. I couldn't produce the studies right off but the hair loss community has looked at the issue in the past.

I think there are some fans of topical finasteride. (like maybe it gets a bit more Finasteride proportionally into the hair follicles compared to what hits the whole system?) But it's not generally considered to be any great topical DHT suppression method in the big picture.



I think dutasteride is the same deal. Too much systemic to be worth it.

 

[LulzKiller]

Right, I agree with you that topical finasteride/dutasteride is probably just systemically absorbed, but I'm just surprised there haven't been any studies to confirm this.

 

[Pondle]

According to the following article, a 0.05% formulation of topical finasteride was well absorbed and lowered the serum DHT concentration by up to 40% but did not regrow hair.

Rushton DH, Norris MJ, Ramsay ID. Topical 0.05% finasteride significantly reduced serum DHT concentrations, but had no effect in preventing the expression of genetic hair loss in men. In:Van Neste D, Randall VA, eds. Hair research for the next millennium. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 1996:359­62.

 

[hairsucks]

Thats strange, I wonder if anyone has tested it at higher doses?

 

[cal]

There are guys dissolving finasteride pills into minoxidil bottles & other absorption agents already. That's what they're finding. It works but it's mainly just a messier way to get the effect of swallowing the pill.


I believe that the the issue actually has been studied at least once, but I don't remember where & when.

 

[harold]

There are a few studies - I think one even showed positive results but had a very very small sample size. Combined with the studies showing systemic absorption in hamsters etc it killed off a lot of interest. There was a guy at hairsite who had his bloodwork done while doing topical finasteride and found his DHT was supressed pretty much to where it would be after taking it orally.
The man who knows all the studies on this subject is Bryan. Search the archives and you might find something.
There hasn't been anything on topical dutasteride to date.
hh

 

[Bryan]

Right, I agree with you that topical finasteride/dutasteride is probably just systemically absorbed, but I'm just surprised there haven't been any studies to confirm this.

There _have_ been at least four different human studies with topical finasteride, and there may be an additional one or two that I'm forgetting. Unfortunately, the results of those studies have been all over the map, so it remains elusive to this very day as to just exactly how effective topical finasteride really is, and why there were conflicting results in those four published studies. Here's a brief description of them:

1) The one cited by Pondle found a certain amount of systemic absorption of the finasteride using an alcoholic vehicle, but even then there was still no noticeable beneficial effect on hair follicles.

2) A study with women using a strong alcoholic vehicle for topical finasteride for hirsutism found no effect whatsoever: no systemic absorption at all, and no effect on the hirsutism. A rather puzzling result.

3) A study with men using topical finasteride for male pattern baldness (in an alcoholic vehicle, if I remember correctly) claimed to get beneficial results for hair, with little or no systemic absorption. Unfortunately, this one wasn't published in a big-name medical journal, so I'm rather skeptical of it.

4) Another study with women (again for hirsutism) using a cream vehicle for topical finasteride apparently got noticeable results, with no systemic absorption problems.

I should also mention here that animal experiments with topical finasteride show a clear functioning by a systemic route of absorption.

 

[squeegee]

I am on that Double-A treatment since 2 weeks and all I can say so far it is working...Was on finasteride for 10 months then massive shed appeared so I started dutasteride orally..after 10 days on it...I had raccoon eyes, very dry skin...my forehead skin was peeling off!, I was lost all the time..depressed...My hair look like very dry....no libido at all... So I stopped it for 2 weeks..then started the double-A treatment, Mix of 0.5 dutasteride pill with a little Aloe Vera...After every shower I apply the stuff on my head and let it dry..You can feel the heat from it when you massage it until it dry up...I don't rinse it..I don't care because I am in the Army so whatever what people think about my head!!the side effects are almost not there anymore...I got vellus hair all over the places and both temples started to fill up with mini black ones..First time!!! I am norwood 2.5 with diffuse thinning hair..I am 29. I don't know if it is because of the dutasteride Mix or the medication that started to kick in but i will still go on with the Double-A treatment...an also when the stuff is dry..I apply A mix of minoxidil and Phlogel because my head doesn't flake with that..Lecithin is very good for your hair anyways...and trying to get maximal absorption too from minoxidil..I applies the minoxidil/Phlogel twice a day..it dried up and my hair feel soft and hydrated....I am on both topical since 2 weeks....

 

[CCS]

there are studies on topical finasteride. Mixed results. The vehicle matters. Some studies show it can be as strong as the pill. But others suggest it still has systemic effects. Do topical spironolactone and peppermint oil. And nizoral.