Dutasteride Hair Loss Cream 50g
Dutasteride Cream: prescription dutasteride in a 50g cream for the scalp. Choose 0.01% to 0.2%, with optional minoxidil or tretinoin in the same jar.
Dutasteride
Dutasteride
Prices are shown below. You can choose a strength once you have completed the medical questionnaire.
Add Minoxidil? (optional)
Add Tretinoin? (optional)
£0.00
✓ Prescription Included
✓ Delivery Included
Description
Dutasteride Hair Loss Cream (50g)
Prescription dutasteride in a 50g cream, compounded fresh in the UK for scalp use. A cream stays where you put it, absorbs cleanly and will not run down your forehead and neck the way a solution can. It is made in a cream base rather than the alcohol and propylene glycol vehicle that leaves many people with a stinging, flaking scalp.
This is a scalp treatment. Do not apply it to the beard: dutasteride works by lowering DHT, and facial hair growth is DHT driven, so a DHT blocker on the beard area works against beard density.
How Dutasteride Cream works
Testosterone is converted into DHT by the enzyme 5-alpha reductase, which exists in two forms. Finasteride inhibits type II. Dutasteride inhibits type I and type II. DHT binds to receptors in scalp follicles and causes them to shrink, so each growth cycle produces a finer hair than the last.
Applied to the skin rather than swallowed, dutasteride produces lower systemic exposure than the oral capsule, though that exposure rises with strength and is not zero at 0.1% and 0.2%. Dutasteride also has a far longer half-life than finasteride, measured in weeks rather than hours, so anything it causes takes longer to settle after stopping.
In the UK, compounded topical dutasteride is dispensed as an unlicensed Special. It is prescribed off-label by a UK prescriber after an online medical questionnaire and compounded by a GPhC registered partner pharmacy.
Available strengths
0.01% and 0.025%: the lighter strengths, usually chosen where there is a history of side effects on an oral 5-alpha reductase inhibitor
0.05%: a common starting strength
0.1%: the most widely prescribed topical strength
0.2%: the highest we compound, for anyone who has plateaued at a lower strength
Your prescriber decides the strength that is appropriate for you, and may approve something other than the one you select.
How to apply
Wash and dry your scalp, or apply to a dry scalp between washes
Apply a pea-sized amount to the thinning areas once daily, ideally in the evening
Part the hair and work it into the scalp with clean fingertips, not into the hair itself
Wash your hands straight after
Leave it on. Allow 15 to 20 minutes to absorb before styling or sleeping
A 50g jar is about a month of once daily use. Consistency matters more than technique, so missed days slow progress.
What to expect
2 to 3 months: reduced shedding is usually the first sign
3 to 6 months: visible change, if it is going to happen, is judged here with your prescriber
12 months: full effect at consistent daily use
On stopping: scalp DHT returns to its previous level, and hair that treatment was holding is lost over the following months. Because of the long half-life, dutasteride clears more slowly than finasteride
Side effects
Exact frequencies are not established for compounded topical dutasteride, and the rates quoted for the oral capsule do not carry across, so the list below is ordered by likelihood rather than precise figures.
More likely (local, at the application site)
Mild redness, itching or dryness where the cream is applied, most common in the first two weeks
Flaking as the scalp adapts
Less likely
Reduced libido
Erectile dysfunction
Changes to ejaculation volume
Effects on skin the cream transfers to by contact, which is why you wash your hands after applying
Unlikely (mostly associated with the oral capsule)
Breast tenderness or enlargement
Mood changes (incidence unclear, still reported)
Persistent sexual effects after stopping treatment
Reduced semen quality, worth raising with your prescriber if you are trying to conceive
Testicular discomfort
Changes in liver function
When to seek urgent medical advice
Signs of allergic reaction: facial or lip swelling, difficulty breathing, rash
Significant mood change or thoughts of self-harm
Unusual breast lumps or nipple discharge
If you notice any side effect, contact your prescriber before stopping, so the decision can be reviewed properly.
Who should not use Dutasteride Cream
Anyone who is pregnant, may become pregnant, or is breastfeeding. Dutasteride can affect a male foetus
Known allergy to dutasteride
Under 18
Do not apply to broken or inflamed skin. Wait for it to heal first
Dutasteride is licensed for men. It is prescribed to women off-label, at the prescriber's discretion, and only where there is no possibility of pregnancy.
Warnings and precautions
PSA testing: dutasteride can halve a Prostate Specific Antigen reading. If you have a PSA test for prostate cancer screening, tell whoever orders it that you are using topical dutasteride, so the result is interpreted correctly.
Long half-life: dutasteride leaves the body over weeks rather than hours, so any effect it causes takes longer to resolve after stopping than it would with finasteride.
Not for the beard: facial hair growth depends on DHT, so applying a DHT blocker to the beard area works against it.
Contact transfer: cream sits on the skin while it absorbs. Wash your hands after applying, and keep the treated scalp away from a pregnant partner's skin until it has absorbed.
One DHT blocker at a time: do not run this alongside oral dutasteride, oral finasteride or topical finasteride without prescriber guidance. Same target, more exposure, no meaningful added benefit.
A previous reaction to finasteride: if you stopped oral or topical finasteride because of persistent sexual, mood or physical effects, put that on the questionnaire before starting dutasteride.
Fertility planning: if you and your partner are actively trying to conceive, discuss it with your prescriber before starting.
Cream or solution?
Cream (50g jar): for anyone who dislikes a wet scalp or a sticky finish, and for treating a defined area such as a receding hairline, a crown patch or a part line. Moisturising rather than drying. About a month per jar.
Solution (TrichoSol base, 100ml): faster to cover a whole scalp, and the cheaper option over time at roughly three months per bottle. See Topical Dutasteride in TrichoSol.
Combining Dutasteride Cream with other treatments
This is a compounded jar, so other actives go into the same 50g cream when you configure it, rather than being bought as a second product.
Add minoxidil (5%, 10% or 15%, prescriber approved) for growth stimulation on top of the DHT block. One addresses the cause, the other stimulates the follicle, and that pairing is the standard approach.
Add tretinoin (0.01%) if you know you are a slow minoxidil responder. Tretinoin raises sulphotransferase activity in the scalp, which can improve the response to minoxidil.
Coming from finasteride? Dutasteride is the escalation, not an addition. Switch from Finasteride Hair Loss Cream rather than running the two together.
Want a wider active palette? Our Custom Topical Solution compounds dutasteride with minoxidil, tretinoin and further actives in one 100ml bottle.
Prefer the capsule? See Dutasteride 0.5mg capsules for the daily oral option.
Prescription included
Complete the short online health questionnaire at checkout. A UK prescriber reviews your answers, and most approvals are the same day. Your cream is compounded fresh in the UK by a GPhC registered partner pharmacy, and delivery is included.
Frequently asked questions
How do I apply this treatment?+
Apply it directly to the scalp in the areas being treated rather than coating the hair, then wash your hands and let the scalp dry fully. Your dispensing label sets how much to use and how often, and it takes priority over any general guidance. Our full guide covers application, storage and what to expect.
What is Dutasteride Cream?+
A prescription cream containing dutasteride, compounded to order in the UK in a 50g jar. Dutasteride inhibits both type I and type II 5-alpha reductase, the enzymes that convert testosterone into DHT, and DHT is what drives follicle miniaturisation in male pattern hair loss.
How is dutasteride different from finasteride?+
Finasteride inhibits type II 5-alpha reductase. Dutasteride inhibits type I and type II, so it suppresses more of the DHT produced in the body. It also has a much longer half-life, measured in weeks rather than hours, which means effects take longer to settle after stopping.
Can I use dutasteride cream on my beard?+
No. Beard growth is driven by DHT, and dutasteride blocks DHT, so applying it to the beard area works against facial hair density rather than for it. For beard growth, minoxidil is the active with the mechanism that fits, and our Minoxidil Hair & Beard Cream is the product for that.
How is the cream different from topical dutasteride solution?+
Same active, different vehicle. The cream stays where you put it, absorbs as a moisturising film and suits treating a defined area such as a hairline or crown. The TrichoSol solution spreads faster across a whole scalp and is the cheaper option over time, at roughly three months per 100ml bottle against about a month per 50g jar.
What strengths does Dutasteride Cream come in?+
It is compounded at 0.01%, 0.025%, 0.05%, 0.1% or 0.2%. Most people are prescribed 0.05% or 0.1%. Your prescriber reviews the strength you select and may approve a different one.
How do I apply Dutasteride Cream?+
Apply a pea-sized amount to the thinning areas of the scalp once daily, ideally in the evening. Part the hair and work it into the scalp rather than the hair. Wash your hands straight after, and allow 15 to 20 minutes to absorb before styling or sleeping.
Does dutasteride cream affect a PSA test?+
It can. Dutasteride lowers Prostate Specific Antigen readings by around half. If you have a PSA test for prostate cancer screening, tell whoever orders it that you are using topical dutasteride so the result can be interpreted correctly.
Can I add minoxidil to the same jar?+
Yes. Minoxidil at 5%, 10% or 15% can be compounded into the same 50g cream when you configure it, subject to prescriber approval, so you are not applying two products. Tretinoin 0.01% can be added as well if you are a slow minoxidil responder.
Can I use dutasteride cream alongside finasteride?+
No. Our compounded formulas allow one DHT blocker at a time. Dutasteride already covers both types of 5-alpha reductase, so adding finasteride contributes no mechanism that dutasteride does not already have, while adding exposure.
Can women use Dutasteride Cream?+
Dutasteride is licensed for men and is prescribed to women off-label, at the prescriber's discretion, and only where there is no possibility of pregnancy. It is not suitable during pregnancy or breastfeeding because dutasteride can affect a male foetus.
How much does dutasteride cream cost in the UK?+
From £60 for a 50g jar, which is about a month of once daily use. The price moves with the strength you choose and whether you add minoxidil or tretinoin to the same jar. UK prescriber review and UK delivery are included.
Can I return this item?+
Prescription and custom-compounded medicines cannot be returned once dispensed under UK pharmacy regulations. Non-prescription items may be returned within 14 days if unused and in their original packaging. See our returns policy at hairrepairclinic.co.uk/returns-policy for full details.
Disclaimer: this page is for general information only and does not constitute medical advice. Prescription treatments are not appropriate for everyone. Prescription only treatment is supplied only where a UK registered prescriber judges it clinically appropriate after reviewing your online medical questionnaire.
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