It's not rare if you get ED sides and decide to cope with them i.e using ED meds instead of stopping finasteride. It literally destroyed the penises in rat studies https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6116690/. Once scar tissue is formed there is no going back.
DHT deprivation causes it. This...
-Masturbation requires maintenance of the penis, just like driving a car requires upkeep
-Maintenance of penis requires DHT
-No DHT no maintenance results in scar tissue formation and permanent ED.
masturbation increase risks of permanent ED imo.
It doesn't block the same amnt of DHT which is why it's bullshit. Some older people with non-severe hairloss might get prevention from just 0.25 / 0.5 though with less sides, however most don't get prevention even from 1mg.
In my experience the libido and ED issues kept getting worse for 5 months before flat-lining at a spot where i couldn't hold it up without Cialis, almost like a degenerative effect.
Was effective for me 1 year with some regrowth, then went to sh*t. Depends on age imo. Start balding at 20-25 = don't expect to stop it with propecia alone.
Why not shave it and try adding RU? the fact you are getting pimples on the scalp could be due to high scalp testosterone which is handled by RU. It is actually not super expensive and will probably be afforded by simply ditching the high cost custom pills you are on for generics.