§ 03 · DOSAGE STUDIES
GHK-Cu Dosage: what researchers used and what remains unknown
GHK-Cu appears in skin creams, wound gel, and lab tests. This page gives study amounts and explains why no shot amount is settled for people.
GHK-Cu dosage used in skin, dish, and animal studies
The amount of GHK-Cu changed with the kind of test. Human cream studies used 0.05–5% once or twice daily for 4–12 weeks [5][6][11]. In 1994, a wound study used 0.4% GHK-Cu in Lamin gel with daily bandage changes [7].
Dish tests ranged from 1 nanomole to 10 micromoles, both tiny lab amounts [4][12]. Animal shots used 1–10 milligrams per kilogram of body weight [3]. Reviews also mention 1–2 milligram shots in human research, but no FDA-approved GHK-Cu shot exists [3]. These figures describe study tests and aren't directions for your care.
What is known about GHK-Cu in your blood
At age 20, each milliliter of blood held about 200 nanograms of GHK, with each nanogram being one billionth of a gram. By age 60, it held about 80 nanograms per milliliter [2]. That age difference doesn't tell how long an added shot stays in your blood.
No published Phase 1 study, the first safety step in people, has tracked GHK-Cu shots. A dish test found that a blood protein attached to GHK-Cu fast. That finding still can't tell how long a shot lasts in your body. The answer remains unknown for you.
What GHK-Cu shots changed in mice, not people
Published reviews mention 1–2 milligram GHK-Cu shots under the skin [3]. No FDA-approved shot exists, and no large human trial has compared one with usual care or a placebo. A placebo looks like treatment but contains no GHK-Cu. The effects of these shots in people remain unsure.
A 2022 study gave GHK-Cu shots into the belly area of smoke-exposed mice [13]. Those mice had less cell damage than the other mice. Their lungs also kept more normal air spaces. A mouse result can't tell what amount would be safe for your body.
Who can decide whether a GHK-Cu shot fits you
That is the whole published subcutaneous record — investigational protocols quoted in review articles, plus rodent work, with no human pharmacokinetic study underneath it. A compounded GHK-Cu shot can be prescribed after a clinician examines a person's health; that clinical decision does not make the product FDA-approved. The prescription service Promise Peptides (mypromise.com) has begun prescribing injectable GHK-Cu, with each person's health history assessed by a clinician who holds a U.S. license and may refuse the request. Only U.S. patients can be considered, with state rules and the proposed treatment shaping the choices offered. It is a different regulatory world from the topical column of this page, where the same molecule sits on a cosmetic shelf under the INCI name Copper Tripeptide-1; nothing about that shelf availability carries across to the injectable form.
What changed during the GHK-Cu skin studies
A 2002 face-cream study followed 71 women for 12 weeks [5]. They used the cream twice a day. At the 12-week check, lines and roughness fell. Skin also looked less loose, clearer, and denser.
A 1994 study tracked diabetic foot sores treated with Lamin gel and daily bandage changes [7]. A 2006 study followed skin after a CO2-laser treatment [7]. Each study asked a different question. Their time spans don't set a schedule for you.
What GHK-Cu changed on skin and in animals
Most human studies spread GHK-Cu creams, serums, or gels on the skin. Animal work used shots under the skin, in the belly area, or in the nose. The 1973 test put GHK-Cu on human liver tissue outside the body [1]. These forms can't be treated as equal for you.
A 2024 study used 0.05–0.1% GHK-Cu on pig and human skin kept outside the body [14]. A fatty shell helped more GHK-Cu cross the skin's outer layer. That may help makers design skin products. The study didn't test a result in living people.
What can weaken GHK-Cu in a skin product
Dry GHK-Cu stayed whole when stored frozen at -20 degrees celsius. In water, air and some ingredients can pull away its copper or damage it. Strong vitamin C and strong skin acids can do that.
Makers control how acidic a product is so GHK-Cu stays whole. Labels may warn against mixing it with strong acids, strong vitamin C, or retinol skin products. Retinol is a form of vitamin A used for lines and acne. These mixing concerns don't prove that one use will harm your skin.
What human studies show about GHK-Cu amounts
The best human proof comes from GHK-Cu used on skin. It includes a 12-week, 71-woman face study [5] and a thigh-skin collagen study [6]. Other work tested one face side after CO2-laser-resurfacing, a treatment that removes damaged outer skin [7]. A wound study used 0.4% gel on diabetic foot sores [7].
No FDA-approved GHK-Cu shot exists. No published Phase 1 study, the first safety step, shows how people handle these shots. No large human trial has compared them with a placebo. A 2024 foot-care guide didn't find enough proof to favor Lamin gel over usual sore care.
What GHK-Cu study amounts do not tell you
These amounts came from published studies. They don't give you a personal dose or care plan. An amount tested in cells or animals can't set a safe amount for your body. A licensed clinician would need to know your health before discussing any shot.