Copper Peptide Repair Cream FAQs

1. Is Midi Health selling peptides?

   The active ingredient in our Copper Peptide Repair Cream is a topical GHK-Cu. This is one of the more researched peptides in aesthetic and dermatological medicine and has been included in cosmetic products for about four decades.

2. I’ve heard peptides are under scrutiny, is this one of those peptides?

   Topical GHK-Cu is categorically different from the injectable peptides you may have read about. The FDA has placed injectable GHK-Cu in Category 2 of its bulk drug substance guidance, meaning it cannot be legally compounded for injection

   Topical GHK-Cu is recognized as a cosmetic active ingredient and may be legally compounded under Section 503A with a patient-specific prescription.

3. Why did Midi Health believe this product was necessary?

   It complements existing prescription offerings (estriol, tretinoin, hydroquinone) to offer patients a more comprehensive product offering for repair + optimization of skin in combination with other products. It is also an alternative when more traditional skin products are not tolerated due to skin sensitivity. 

4. What clinical data supports prescribing this?

   Each ingredient has copious clinical studies, including topical GKHCU, niacinamide, and hyaluronic acid. Experts have used combinations of these ingredients successfully for decades.

   Topical GHK-Cu has been studied for collagen support to help reduce the appearance of wrinkles. 

5. What is GHK-Cu?

   GHK-Cu is a copper peptide naturally found in the body. It plays an important role in how skin repairs itself, helping guide collagen and elastin production, tissue rebuilding, and healthy inflammation control.

   Since its discovery in 1973, in vivo and in vitro studies have shown it possesses a range of health-positive actions, including improving wound contraction and epithelization and increasing the production of growth factors and the activity of antioxidant enzymes. Its safety profile after 50 years of research and commercial cosmetic use is well-documented, and no serious adverse events have been reported in published literature.

6. Why is this considered a prescription vs. over the counter? 

   While you can get topical GHK-Cu cream over the counter, our Copper Peptide Repair Cream also includes niacinamide to calm visible reactivity and strengthen the skin barrier, and hyaluronic acid to improve hydration retention.

   As part of Midi Health’s ongoing comprehensive care, a clinician can evaluate if this product is relevant to your particular needs.

7. Who is this product good for?
   • Midlife women with fine lines, crepiness, or firmness loss
   • Post-procedure patients needing recovery support (microneedling, lasers, peels)
   • Patients sensitive to retinoids looking to pair with a soothing skincare product
   • People with sensitive skin seeking a more soothing skin care solution

8. What menopausal skin conditions is it intended to address?

   As women enter perimenopause and menopause, natural levels of GHK decline by roughly half between your 20s and 60s. This is part of why midlife skin can become thinner, less firm, slower to recover, and more sensitive or reactive over time. These hormonal shifts can change how skin functions and repairs itself: collagen and elastin production slow, natural regeneration decreases, and the skin’s barrier becomes more vulnerable.

   This can show up as:

   1. Skin that feels thinner, less firm, and less elastic
   2. Fine lines, wrinkles, and sun damage becoming more visible
   3. Redness, irritation, or sensitivity that lingers longer
   4. Skin that no longer tolerates aggressive actives or intensive routines
   5. Slower recovery after treatments such as tretinoin, microneedling, lasers, or peels

9. Is this product only relevant for women in midlife / peri/menopause? Could younger adults/men benefit from using it? 

   Natural levels of GHK decline starting in our 20’s and are roughly half by the time we are in our 60s in both men and women. Please check with your clinician if this product is right for you.

10. Who might not be good for this product?

• Pregnant or breastfeeding.
  • This product has not been formally studied or established for safe use during  pregnancy or breastfeeding. If you’d like to discuss alternative options, please schedule an appointment with a Midi clinician. 
• Ingredient sensitivities.
  • To avoid skin irritation, this product should not be used if you have an allergy or skin sensitivity to any of these ingredients. If you’d like to discuss alternative options, please schedule an appointment with a Midi clinician.
• Unexplained inflamed skin.