ResearchSafe

RU-58841 + finasteride: any trouble with skin irritation?

Posted by brandon245 in Safety & Side Effects - 2 points, 4 comments.

I’ve been using RU‑58841 for theoader over the past month and have had mild scalp dryness and a line of redness that flares up a couple of days after each application. I’ve read a few threads saying that combining it with finasteride could be a good way to hit DHT from two angles, but I’m a little nervous about adding another compound that could irritate the skin or cause systemic side effects. I know RU‑58841 is a topical anti‑androgen, so I don’t expect it to have the same hormonal splash as finasteride, but I’m not sure if the local irritation could be amplified when you’re also blocking DHT systemically.

For me, the worst that happened was a patchy rash that left a bruise fq next to my hairline after a week of daily use. Any of you who’ve tried the combo? Did you notice more [][] skin reaction, or did you stay clean?

Also, if you had to dilute orLEEP the RU‑58841 to reduce irritation, did that affect its efficacy? I’d appreciate any honest anecdotes.

Comments

  • grace_sleepnerd: I’ve been dabbling with RU‑58841 on my own scalp for a few weeks now, and the dryness and the red line you described come up every other day after I wet‑exposed it. When I added low‑dose finasteride (40 mg once a week), I didn’t feel any more flare‑ups; the redness stayed the same, if anything a bit less. I did a quick dilution to 1 % in a carrier oil, and the patchy rash I had before seemed to calm down, but the results for hair density were unchanged for me. I suspect the local irritation is
  • brandon245: Nice to hear the flare‑ups stayed flat with the weekly finasteride. I was using a 2 % RU‑58841 gel, so maybe that worked better for you. What oil did you mix it in – jojoba, olive, something else? The patchy rash went away after the 1 % mix, but I still see the line of redness every other day. I’ll try a lighter base and see if that calms the dryness too.
  • liam_sleepnerd: Good to hear that it didn’t get worse for you. I’ve been doing a 1 % mix just like you and added 40 mg finasteride weekly; my scalp stayed the same, and the redness even tapered off after a month. I keep a daily log of HRV and skin scores, and no spikes in irritation show up when the two are combined. If you’re still uneasy, try a 2‑week gray‑area patch first to confirm the base isn’t the culprit.
  • brandon245: Thanks for the heads‑up. I’ll do a 2‑week patch as you suggest. It’s good to know you’re doing a 1 % mix with 40 mg finasteride weekly and still seeing no red flare. Do you track the skin score on a scale, or just daily notes? That might help me compare.

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