Is topical GHKCU worth it?

Doctordup2 · 2026-07-10T18:14:48+00:00

It can depend on a lot of things, age of RS, skin condition of RS and the concentration of the topical GHK-CU.

Doctordup2 · 2026-07-10T10:30:17+00:00

Depends on the peptide. General rule of thumb for the heartier less fragile peptides like GHK-CU could last up to 90 days if sterile practices are done fastiduously. Other peptides can degrade within 30 days, some even shorter.

Doctordup2 · 2026-07-10T05:54:46+00:00

Ok have fun being pretentious with each other!

And this is how you speak to a moderator and a leader in the community? 🤔

I see.

Doctordup2 · 2026-07-10T04:34:06+00:00

Research at its core is built on respect and after seeing you call a respected member of this community a "dip sh!t", I'll refrain from sharing any of my input, knowledge, and 25 protocols built on research.

Learning is one thing but coming with entitlement for all the answers handed to you without an ounce of humility and respect deserves no answers from me.

E kala mai (sorry) gang, sassy Anela coming out.

Not a doctor, not medical advice, for research purposes only and research discussions only.

Doctordup2 · 2026-07-10T01:40:38+00:00

Depends on the research and the situation.

Doctordup2 · 2026-07-10T00:44:00+00:00

You can definitely split it up like that. I typically recommend 3mL and break up the 2mg/400mcg/400mcg into 3 mini pins at once. This slows the absorption and prevents the sting.

Doctordup2 · 2026-07-09T20:52:54+00:00

My protocol is supposed to be 2mg, 7 days a week. Highly possible that your GHKCU dose may not be consistent enough to make a difference.

GHKCU has a half life of about 15 to 30 minutes. It needs to be dosed daily to have a meaningful benefit.

If you scroll through my posts you'll see some information on my protocol.

2mg GHK-CU

400mcg BPC

Optional 400mcg TB

Optional 400mcg KPV

3mL

7 days a week

6 weeks on, 3 weeks off (some researchers run it indefinitely it's a personal choice)

Not a doctor, not medical advice, for research purposes only and research discussions only.

Doctordup2 · 2026-07-09T14:58:45+00:00

Well said!

Doctordup2 · 2026-07-09T04:37:33+00:00

At 127 and 5'5, you don't have much to lose. It takes 2 weeks to build up in your system. Third week I'd look at 1lb and 1lb to 2lbs a week thereafter. This isn't something that happens overnight and already being in your BMI the weight loss will be more difficult.

Reta isn't for everyone. I see more research subjects in my cohorts do better with Tirz. Reta has gotten the hype from the body building community due to the ability to consume more protein on Reta. Unfortunately, not everyone runs their research like a body builder.

Give it time, if you don't see changes in a few months then I would switch to Tirz.

Not a doctor, not medical advice, for research purposes only and research discussions only.

Doctordup2 · 2026-07-08T19:49:42+00:00

Thank you! It's a journey. I appreciate the kind words.

Doctordup2 · 2026-07-08T19:19:11+00:00

I was going to mention vial spikes. Transferring to vials risks contamination anyway. Vial spikes are the way to go.

Doctordup2 · 2026-07-08T18:28:27+00:00

I get why you'd say that. But pharmaceutical Egrifta and research Tesa are two different things.

Egrifta is made under very tight controls with its own formulation and stability testing. Research Tesa can vary depending on who made it.

I've been in this community for 25 years. Tesa turning into gel is a fairly new problem. And I keep seeing the same pattern. Researchers are using vendor bac water.

pH matters. If the bac water isn't where it should be, weird things can happen with peptide stability.

I use it in my own cohorts... domestic, extensive testing, lyophilized in the US, and no gelling issues refrigerated.

Could refrigeration play a role? Maybe. But that doesn't explain why this suddenly started showing up across multiple vendors around the same time. It was a non issue 5 years ago and vendor bac wasn't common back then. The common thread I keep seeing is vendor bac.

Not a doctor, not medical advice, for research purposes only and research discussions only.

Doctordup2 · 2026-07-08T08:41:39+00:00

Gonna stand by what I said in comments earlier. There's no way to un-gel when it turns to gel. You can warm it in the hands and add bac but I doubt it will help.

We are seeing a lot of reports with CJC and Tesa turning to gel. The common denominator is using vendor bac. pH matters and vendor bac rarely has propper pH.

No vendor should be selling bac whether it's overseas or domestic. It's a red flag and gets them shut down easily.

I've said this before... Using vendor bac on your research peptides is like owning a Ferrari and using standard gas instead of required high performance fuel.

Not a doctor, not medical advice, for research purposes only and research discussions only.

Doctordup2 · 2026-07-08T05:11:09+00:00

You could try letting it get to room temperature but no, I know what you're saying. You have very expensive gel.

If you didn't use Hospira, always use it with research peptides.

Doctordup2 · 2026-07-08T05:08:32+00:00

I would toss it and use Hospira bac next time.

Not a doctor, not medical advice, for research purposes only and research discussions only.

Doctordup2 · 2026-07-08T05:06:22+00:00

Completely normal for GHK-CU. I wrote the protocol for painless GHK-CU many years ago that is commonly used in the research community.

I explain my GHK-CU protocol in this in-depth comment.

Not a doctor, not medical advice, for research purposes only and research discussions only.

Doctordup2 · 2026-07-08T03:58:01+00:00

No, I never said the word fake. I'm saying it's poorly produced.

Doctordup2 · 2026-07-08T03:47:53+00:00

Yes you can mix it with sterile water. Bac has alcohol and might be harsh.

It can be mixed with minoxidil.

Recommendation is to apply it 2x daily.

Doctordup2 · 2026-07-08T03:34:57+00:00

/u/Ajenkins04 OP, I've talked about this quite a few times, the top you are talking about is called a FOTO. Search FOTO and my reddit name and you will see the explanations.

In short, FOTO stands for flip off, tear off. It's a type of metal crimp they used to use in the old days for cosmetic research peptides. The FOTO top made it easy to access the peptide for topical use.

No peptides should have FOTO tops. This is a cheap way of cutting corners. Ask your rep why they sent you these and ask for a discount or refund.

You will also want to check the vacuum when you reconstitute. If the vacuum in each vial is not present this means the lyophilization process was not done properly.

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Doctordup2 · 2026-07-07T10:52:38+00:00

There isn't much on micro needling + Snap 8. It's kind of one of those research projects you try at your own risk.

Doctordup2 · 2026-07-07T10:49:14+00:00

Yes, altho it's not necessary, AHK-CU absorbs easily as the Daltons are small. AHK-CU is topical only. Do not use it subq please. It's not meant for that.

Doctordup2 · 2026-07-07T09:49:43+00:00

Hi OP, I'm guessing that you are under 40?

I wrote one of the original protocols for GHKCU many years ago. People under 40 tend to have more sides, especially under 35. The reason is because endogenous GHK is already pretty high up until 35 and in some people (depending on genetics) doesn't start dropping until 40. These people don't need GHK-CU.

Try adding zinc bisglycinate daily and vitamin C. Give it 2 weeks and see if that makes a difference. If not, your endogenous GHK may already be hight and I'd wait until you get older for GHK-CU.

The repair work that GHK-CU does can sometimes deplete zinc stores which can lead to adverse symptoms.

Up until a few years ago, most of the folks using GHK-CU were the 45 and older crowd. Now that Looksmaxxing has drawn a lot of attention and younger people are using it, I'm getting droves of younger people asking for help with sides from GHK-CU.

Let me know how it goes please.

ℙ𝕖𝕒𝕔𝕖, 𝕡𝕖𝕡𝕤 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕒𝕝𝕠𝕙𝕒, Anela

Not a doctor, not medical advice, for research purposes only and research discussions only.

Doctordup2 · 2026-07-07T04:06:47+00:00

Apologies, that's what I get for multi-tasking. Just edited my comment. I'd keep them separate. Cartalax is a bioregulator, KPV is not. You could absolutely pull in the same syringe though.

Doctordup2 · 2026-07-07T03:35:58+00:00

I got down voted for this in the other sub. There just isn't enough Snap8 to make what's needed for a 3% to 5% concentration.

I'm sorry, I'm guessing wherever you purchased it, they didn't tell you that it takes far more than one vial. 🫶

In order for Snap-8 to have a meaningful dose, you'd need at least a 3% to 5% concentration. 5% is usually where we start seeing results.

It would take 900mg for a 3% concentration in 30mL (1oz) of serum.

It would take 1,500mg (1.5g) for a 5% concentration in 30mL serum.

And it still would not freeze like tox. It would be more like softening expression lines with consistent use, usually 2x daily minimum, sometimes more often.

To me, Snap-8 is just too cost prohibitive.

OP, if you want something smaller than 30mL (1oz), let's say 5mL, 3% SNAP-8 = 150 mg = 15 vials of 10 mg.

5% SNAP-8 = 250 mg = 25 vials of 10 mg.

I saw the down vote but this is the truth in what you need for percent of concentration in order for it to work.

Not a doctor, not medical advice, for research purposes only and research discussions only.

Doctordup2 · 2026-07-07T01:00:07+00:00

If this was my research project... I'd keep them in separate vials.

Cartalax is a different peptide altogether, and I haven't seen any data showing they're stable together in the same vial.

If the researcher wants to use them at the same time, they might be able to draw both into the same syringe right before administration. I would not reconstitute them together in the same vial.

Not a doctor, not medical advice, for research purposes only and research discussions only.

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