Topical Dutasteride for Hair Loss
Since 2014, I have written a number of posts on topical finasteride for hair loss. In several of them, I have also mentioned topical dutasteride.
Oral dutasteride (brand name Avodart) is significantly more effective than oral finasteride (brand name Propecia) in treating hair loss. I therefore assume that topical dutasteride is also more effective than topical finasteride in growing hair.
Lack of Interest in Topical Dutasteride
What surprises me is that there is so little interest in topical dutasteride in comparison to topical finasteride. Both on the part of hair loss sufferers as well as on the part of hair transplant surgeons, dermatologists and physicians.
Even mesotherapy and dutasteride treatments have not becoming as popular as I would have guessed last year.
Local compounding pharmacies will often make topical finasteride (cream, lotion, solution or gel) for you. However, they rarely get requests to make topical dutasteride for hair loss.
In the private sector, Almirall (previously Polichem) will soon release a rigorously tested topical finasteride. However, no private sector pharmaceutical company is close to making a globally available topical dutasteride.
Perhaps one reason for this lack of interest among all parties is due to the fact that dutasteride is much more expensive then finasteride. Both generic and brand name versions of the former are pricier.
It should also be noted that dutasteride has only been officially approved to treat hair loss in South Korea and Japan. In the US, the FDA has not approved its use for androgenetic alopecia (aka male pattern baldness). Doctors have to prescribe it off-label for patients with pattern hair loss.
Hair Transplant Surgeon Offerings
While I would like to see a private company manufacture topical dutasteride that has been clinically tested, this is not happening anytime soon.
However, during the past 2-3 years, some hair transplant surgeons have started prescribing and offering their version of topical dutasteride. Among these include Dr. Lupanzula in Belgium and Dr. Hayatdavoudi in the US. Most such doctors will only prescribe topical dutasteride in person to their own patients. Or after at least doing a remote online video consultation.
I have talked with a couple of other hair transplant surgeons about the significant potential of making money by offering topical dutasteride. One of them might jump on board later this year, although the chances are slim at present. I have also contacted “Hims” about this opportunity, but got no response.
My Topical Dutasteride Experiment
Over the years, I have read of many instances where people take oral hair loss medications and crudely convert them into topical ones.
They first break open the capsules to get the solution or material inside. In the case of tablets or pills, they grind them down into powder form. Then they rub the resulting liquid or gel or powder on to their scalps. Sometimes after mixing it with other hair growth promoting ingredients such as Retin-A. Wet scalps possibly absorb the medication better than dry scalps. Topical dutasteride with microneedling combination treatments might also be more effective when it comes to absorption.
I have always been skeptical about this amateur method of converting oral drugs into topical drugs. Is it possible for the scalp to absorb any of the resulting topical ingredients? I assume that the molecule size has to be small enough for the scalp skin to absorb the medication. Do the ingredients get damaged upon exposure to the air?
Since Rogaine Foam is easily absorbed by the scalp and also quite effective, I do not doubt that topical hair loss medications can work well. Note: See how does Minoxidil work?
Last week, I decided to make my own crude version of topical dutasteride. Even if 20-30 percent of the medicine was absorbed by my scalp, it would be worth the effort and expense. Oral dutasteride was very effective for me in stopping my hair loss for several years. It possibly even regrow some crown hair. However, the effectiveness has worn of lately. So I am very keen on directly applying a topical version of dutasteride to my scalp.
When I split open my generic dutasteride capsule (see above photo), I got a shock. There was almost nothing inside the capsule. Upon closer examination a very small amount of thick transparent liquid was on the scissors and on my finger, both of which came into contact with the capsule. This fluid is not visible in the photo. Maybe I will take another better close-up photo of the fluid in future and add it to this post.
I hope that my Camber Pharmaceutical made generic dutasteride is legitimate. The transparent liquid type content was quite limited in volume, but perhaps this is normal for all capsules?
I do not intend to continue this experiment on any kind of regular basis. I will pour the limited contents of oral dutasteride capsules onto my scalp once in a blue moon. It makes me feel like I am doing something useful. Hopefully, I get more than just a placebo effect when it comes to hair growth.
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