Finasteride Lotion?

I don’t think topical finasteride is regularly available at a pharmacy, but there’s a doctor that I’ve seen offering it. Why doesn’t Merck offer this and is it as good as the pill?

According to the website of one doctor that sells it, “Topically applied finasteride is reserved for use by those who wish to block only 5-10% of the DHT activity in the scalp, which is a lower level than typically achieved from ingesting tablets.” So why would you want to use a messy cream on your scalp and not block as much DHT as a single daily pill can?

If it doesn’t work as well as the 1mg finasteride pill in treating hair loss (if it works at all), this is probably why Merck doesn’t offer it. I really don’t know what Merck’s reasons are, but I doubt that there is real data to support the doctor’s declaration and I would insist on seeing where the “block only 5-10% of the DHT activity in the scalp” comes from. I am skeptical and I wouldn’t have a way to validate such claims.

Note: Bottle is for illustration purposes.