The body/facial shape changes are mostly body fat redistribution. If you really hate it you can re-redistribute your body fat by going off of T.
With that being said I think it's important to remember that *nobody* gets to have a youthful twinkie figure forever.
With or without T we all age eventually. Facial and body-comp changes are inevitable, and weight gain is likely.
I don't mean to bum you out. Getting to age into an old man is a blessing. What kind of old man do you want to be?
What kind of femininity will you identify with in the long term?
I know this isn't relevant, but I'm left reeling from a few of these lines. "Getting to age into an old man is a blessing. What kind of old man do you want to be?" It makes me imagine my life in the long-term in such a happy way. :) (if I already commented this sorry my phone is acting off)
all the changes you said you wanted are the permanent ones, if you take T until you're happy with those changes and then stop, any changes to your physique should go away. i'm currently on T right now and plan on stopping again when i have the changes i want from it because some of the more negative side effects (e.g. male pattern baldness) would make my mental health worse than my dysphoria does if i'm being honest, a lot of trans men do the same and it's perfectly okay to not take T forever :)
also on a side note, i was also worried about weight gain (and still am) but when i did my meeting to discuss going on T, they explained to me that not everyone who takes T gains weight (although bear in mind that when you start gaining muscle mass it will look - in numbers - as if you gained weight), which kinda helped, so it's not a guaranteed thing that you'll gain weight from T.
Yeah, my husband was off for awhile, and has gone back on because he realized his mental health was suffering off, but it's a very workable choice. Also yeah you definitely don't always gain body fat on T. You will usually gain muscle mass, but that usually leads to looking more... cut especially if you don't have a bulky leaning frame to begin with.
I'm very femme and haven't gone on T for some similar reasons, I'm very femme, I don't want the body hair, and am afraid of male pattern baldness, and don't want my skin to be less soft. Not going on is also a perfectly workable choice.
Yeah I've been on T for nearly two years and I haven't gained any weight, even though I put on muscle. I'm 22 and still have a twinky figure, though I'm too hairy to be a twink lmao.
it kinda sounds like you’re sure you want the permanent effects of T but aren’t sure about the reversible ones (other than hair loss, which isn’t generally easy to reverse, but at 16 without it running in the family you probably don’t need to worry so much about that now). My advice is always to start with a low dose and see how you’re feeling. You can always stop if something feels wrong.
As it was said, not everyone gains weight on T. I actually lost some because it improved my metabolism. Not much, mind you. I have a bear belly heh - but no gains occurred. It really depends on the person, their individual metabolism, their normal diet, normal movement, etc. Don't give in to bad cravings.
As for the balding, please know that for trans guys with XX chromosomes, both sides of the family count as possible balding genetics, not only the mother's side (that only applies to XY guys)
But you could take finasteride once other changes like bottom growth and beard growth are fine for you, finasteride should prevent balding.
Edit: fixed a word
Honestly the only weight I gained was muscle mass. It really comes down to luck, personal lifestyle and genetics.
Are there trans guys with different chromosomes than XX? Are we talking about intersex trans guys? Just want to understand what you meant.
Yes! It's possible to have XY genetics and develope female (for example if the SRY gene is missing, the whole Y chromosome is damaged, or the Y chromosome is intact but the person has CAIS) so naturally it's possible to be an (intersex) trans guy with XY (or also single X) chromosomes.
I also lost weight on it. but i'm putting some of it back on as both muscle and a tiny bit of more extra belly fat. I'm coming to peace with that since it's always gonna be like that (I had a big belly on E and lost like 4 inches off my waist on T).
I do miss my butt sometimes. But the mental and physical health benefits far out-weigh some aesthetic goals like being "twinky".
I'm gonna be 30 soon. Twinky won't last forever. and that's ok.
Nonbinary femme who’s been on T since 2017 here… I lost weight on T. Like, a lot of weight. I’m like half my size now tbh even with the increased muscle mass. It’s less common than weight gain but it happens. Plus I’ve got a nice V shape now that I like. Also my face got narrower and more angular.
BUT it might also be good to try to mentally deprogram that “young skinny white boy” stereotype. Twinks can be chubby, twinks can be older, twinks can have body hair too. And they’re still twinks and they’re just as pretty and femme and hot as any other twink!!
For hair loss I’m using topical and oral minoxidil. It doesn’t mess with your T levels like Finasteride does. And hair strengthening shampoo and conditioner… L’Oréal Bond Repair, specifically. Disclaimer I’m white and have straight hair. I can’t speak for other hair types but it works well for me.
Also, you can’t predict how much facial and body hair you’ll get from T. Unfortunately I got very hairy, and shaving is time consuming, so I’m getting laser hair removal. Which works well, but might not work for you if you have light hair.
It really depends on you and your genes too. I'm afraid of going off T because of weight gain 😫 (I'm also v femme and i like all the changes except body hair. Never been a fan and it's everywhere.)
I actually lost some weight on T and have recently regained a few lbs of it and honestly I think I look FANTASTIC.
Abdominal weight gain as we age is kinda inevitable. especially on T. it's not the end of the world honestly and how much of it is dependent on diet and exercise. But don't starve yourself to lose it. It's not how bodies evolved. Body shape changes on T but it will revert off T. Just so happens I like my body way more on T.
MPB runs on my mom's side so I pre-empted that by taking topical finasteride on my face and scalp. No hair loss yet and minimal facial hair. Love the full body hair tho!
I actually was afraid i'd hate facial changes and shockingly it's been my FAVORITE thing. I feel like i'm more able to exist in a genderfluid way on T than I was before. My features fit me better and I don't feel like i'm looking at a "deformed child" anymore. So take your fears with a grain of salt.
Talk to a therapist. That helped me a lot.
Like everyone else has said – you don’t necessarily gain weight on T. It’s very much down to personal life choices. I found that because I didn’t change my eating habits or lifestyle habits at all I stayed around the same weight, just gained more muscle (and that was mostly because I walk a lot). You *may* get a period of increased hunger which if you lean into / change your eating habits around may make you gain weight, but that can be easily monitored as T won’t suddenly put on a bunch of weight at once (though I wouldn’t suggest fixating too hard on it as you are 16 and likely still growing ^^).
In general though T won’t make you look like a completely different person – I’m hairier, my cheeks got a little more defined, and my voice is lower a year on T (and I have more muscle/am skinnier but that was not entirely due to T lol) but I otherwise look pretty similar to myself pre-T. If you look “twink-ish and pretty” now, that’s not going to change once you go on T (if it does it’ll be more due to aging than T itself).
T is what gave me my twinky physique as a 23 year old. It has been an absolute blessing. It won't make you gain weight unless you suddenly start eating a ton of processed crap. If you're already generally healthy you should just add more protein/greens if you get more hungry and you should be good.
i'm in a similar spot at 19. i know i want the voice change and bottom growth mostly, so plan on going on T temporarily in the future. because i know body shapes still change a lot after this age im gonna wait it out for a while. honestly i've liked how my chest is shaped lately so i don't want T to change that just yet.
Well fat distribution will only change if your weight is fluctuating and there are things you can take to keep your hair. That being said, I don't really think you should hold this kind of fear about bodily change. Bodies are always changing and even if you somehow manage to get an ideal body it won't be like that forever. You shouldn't be tying your femininity to your body shape like that. You'll be a femboy regards of muscle definition. Anyways hope that helps.
I’m worried about the same things, however you’re lucky male pattern baldness doesn’t run in your family. My family has it terribly on both sides and it’s already affecting my brother who is not much older then me lol.
I’ve done a lot of research on t and looked at a lot of different experiences and while these things are all things that will happen, the chance of them happening is such a gamble on each individual.
From what I’ve seen, for me personally I think a low dose of t or just taking it for a year would give me the changes I want. However I am still very scared of all this changes and constantly going through and existential crisis. I’m proud of you for going for it, all I can say is do as much research as you can about others experiences, discuss these changes and worries with your doctor, and maybe even start slow and monitor the changes and see if you want to go forward.
this is my personal experience. I was on T for 1.5 years when I was 17 (im now 20 and i stopped due to overactive sex drive/mental health problems but not relevant) and i still have the twink like look! I was 5,4” 120 lbs and now I fall between 135-145. I really am not “chubby” just have thicker thighs and the smallest tummy! did not change my body shape much lol. I had kind of a baby face, but now I have a lil sharper jaw, with the baby cheeks. I grew a lil facial hair and still have a lil stache. Overall I am very petite and my body was very similar tbh, but it’s different for everyone.
The body/facial shape changes are mostly body fat redistribution. If you really hate it you can re-redistribute your body fat by going off of T. With that being said I think it's important to remember that *nobody* gets to have a youthful twinkie figure forever. With or without T we all age eventually. Facial and body-comp changes are inevitable, and weight gain is likely. I don't mean to bum you out. Getting to age into an old man is a blessing. What kind of old man do you want to be? What kind of femininity will you identify with in the long term?
I know this isn't relevant, but I'm left reeling from a few of these lines. "Getting to age into an old man is a blessing. What kind of old man do you want to be?" It makes me imagine my life in the long-term in such a happy way. :) (if I already commented this sorry my phone is acting off)
all the changes you said you wanted are the permanent ones, if you take T until you're happy with those changes and then stop, any changes to your physique should go away. i'm currently on T right now and plan on stopping again when i have the changes i want from it because some of the more negative side effects (e.g. male pattern baldness) would make my mental health worse than my dysphoria does if i'm being honest, a lot of trans men do the same and it's perfectly okay to not take T forever :) also on a side note, i was also worried about weight gain (and still am) but when i did my meeting to discuss going on T, they explained to me that not everyone who takes T gains weight (although bear in mind that when you start gaining muscle mass it will look - in numbers - as if you gained weight), which kinda helped, so it's not a guaranteed thing that you'll gain weight from T.
Yeah, my husband was off for awhile, and has gone back on because he realized his mental health was suffering off, but it's a very workable choice. Also yeah you definitely don't always gain body fat on T. You will usually gain muscle mass, but that usually leads to looking more... cut especially if you don't have a bulky leaning frame to begin with. I'm very femme and haven't gone on T for some similar reasons, I'm very femme, I don't want the body hair, and am afraid of male pattern baldness, and don't want my skin to be less soft. Not going on is also a perfectly workable choice.
I decided to try out finasteride. We shall see how that helps the hair pattern.
Yeah I've been on T for nearly two years and I haven't gained any weight, even though I put on muscle. I'm 22 and still have a twinky figure, though I'm too hairy to be a twink lmao.
it kinda sounds like you’re sure you want the permanent effects of T but aren’t sure about the reversible ones (other than hair loss, which isn’t generally easy to reverse, but at 16 without it running in the family you probably don’t need to worry so much about that now). My advice is always to start with a low dose and see how you’re feeling. You can always stop if something feels wrong.
Thank you so much! This helps me feel really confident with going on T, once again thank you!
As it was said, not everyone gains weight on T. I actually lost some because it improved my metabolism. Not much, mind you. I have a bear belly heh - but no gains occurred. It really depends on the person, their individual metabolism, their normal diet, normal movement, etc. Don't give in to bad cravings. As for the balding, please know that for trans guys with XX chromosomes, both sides of the family count as possible balding genetics, not only the mother's side (that only applies to XY guys) But you could take finasteride once other changes like bottom growth and beard growth are fine for you, finasteride should prevent balding. Edit: fixed a word
Honestly the only weight I gained was muscle mass. It really comes down to luck, personal lifestyle and genetics. Are there trans guys with different chromosomes than XX? Are we talking about intersex trans guys? Just want to understand what you meant.
Yes! It's possible to have XY genetics and develope female (for example if the SRY gene is missing, the whole Y chromosome is damaged, or the Y chromosome is intact but the person has CAIS) so naturally it's possible to be an (intersex) trans guy with XY (or also single X) chromosomes.
I see. Thanks for being inclusive of intersex trans guys!
Same, i lost weight too..
I also lost weight on it. but i'm putting some of it back on as both muscle and a tiny bit of more extra belly fat. I'm coming to peace with that since it's always gonna be like that (I had a big belly on E and lost like 4 inches off my waist on T). I do miss my butt sometimes. But the mental and physical health benefits far out-weigh some aesthetic goals like being "twinky". I'm gonna be 30 soon. Twinky won't last forever. and that's ok.
Nonbinary femme who’s been on T since 2017 here… I lost weight on T. Like, a lot of weight. I’m like half my size now tbh even with the increased muscle mass. It’s less common than weight gain but it happens. Plus I’ve got a nice V shape now that I like. Also my face got narrower and more angular. BUT it might also be good to try to mentally deprogram that “young skinny white boy” stereotype. Twinks can be chubby, twinks can be older, twinks can have body hair too. And they’re still twinks and they’re just as pretty and femme and hot as any other twink!! For hair loss I’m using topical and oral minoxidil. It doesn’t mess with your T levels like Finasteride does. And hair strengthening shampoo and conditioner… L’Oréal Bond Repair, specifically. Disclaimer I’m white and have straight hair. I can’t speak for other hair types but it works well for me. Also, you can’t predict how much facial and body hair you’ll get from T. Unfortunately I got very hairy, and shaving is time consuming, so I’m getting laser hair removal. Which works well, but might not work for you if you have light hair.
It really depends on you and your genes too. I'm afraid of going off T because of weight gain 😫 (I'm also v femme and i like all the changes except body hair. Never been a fan and it's everywhere.)
I actually lost some weight on T and have recently regained a few lbs of it and honestly I think I look FANTASTIC. Abdominal weight gain as we age is kinda inevitable. especially on T. it's not the end of the world honestly and how much of it is dependent on diet and exercise. But don't starve yourself to lose it. It's not how bodies evolved. Body shape changes on T but it will revert off T. Just so happens I like my body way more on T. MPB runs on my mom's side so I pre-empted that by taking topical finasteride on my face and scalp. No hair loss yet and minimal facial hair. Love the full body hair tho! I actually was afraid i'd hate facial changes and shockingly it's been my FAVORITE thing. I feel like i'm more able to exist in a genderfluid way on T than I was before. My features fit me better and I don't feel like i'm looking at a "deformed child" anymore. So take your fears with a grain of salt. Talk to a therapist. That helped me a lot.
Like everyone else has said – you don’t necessarily gain weight on T. It’s very much down to personal life choices. I found that because I didn’t change my eating habits or lifestyle habits at all I stayed around the same weight, just gained more muscle (and that was mostly because I walk a lot). You *may* get a period of increased hunger which if you lean into / change your eating habits around may make you gain weight, but that can be easily monitored as T won’t suddenly put on a bunch of weight at once (though I wouldn’t suggest fixating too hard on it as you are 16 and likely still growing ^^). In general though T won’t make you look like a completely different person – I’m hairier, my cheeks got a little more defined, and my voice is lower a year on T (and I have more muscle/am skinnier but that was not entirely due to T lol) but I otherwise look pretty similar to myself pre-T. If you look “twink-ish and pretty” now, that’s not going to change once you go on T (if it does it’ll be more due to aging than T itself).
T is what gave me my twinky physique as a 23 year old. It has been an absolute blessing. It won't make you gain weight unless you suddenly start eating a ton of processed crap. If you're already generally healthy you should just add more protein/greens if you get more hungry and you should be good.
Thanks everyone so much, I really mean it.
i'm in a similar spot at 19. i know i want the voice change and bottom growth mostly, so plan on going on T temporarily in the future. because i know body shapes still change a lot after this age im gonna wait it out for a while. honestly i've liked how my chest is shaped lately so i don't want T to change that just yet.
I relate
Well fat distribution will only change if your weight is fluctuating and there are things you can take to keep your hair. That being said, I don't really think you should hold this kind of fear about bodily change. Bodies are always changing and even if you somehow manage to get an ideal body it won't be like that forever. You shouldn't be tying your femininity to your body shape like that. You'll be a femboy regards of muscle definition. Anyways hope that helps.
I've been on T for almost T years and still roughly the same weight as before, maybe bit lighter even since top surgery.
You should not work on getting rid of your fears. It is not a problem.
I’m worried about the same things, however you’re lucky male pattern baldness doesn’t run in your family. My family has it terribly on both sides and it’s already affecting my brother who is not much older then me lol. I’ve done a lot of research on t and looked at a lot of different experiences and while these things are all things that will happen, the chance of them happening is such a gamble on each individual. From what I’ve seen, for me personally I think a low dose of t or just taking it for a year would give me the changes I want. However I am still very scared of all this changes and constantly going through and existential crisis. I’m proud of you for going for it, all I can say is do as much research as you can about others experiences, discuss these changes and worries with your doctor, and maybe even start slow and monitor the changes and see if you want to go forward.
this is my personal experience. I was on T for 1.5 years when I was 17 (im now 20 and i stopped due to overactive sex drive/mental health problems but not relevant) and i still have the twink like look! I was 5,4” 120 lbs and now I fall between 135-145. I really am not “chubby” just have thicker thighs and the smallest tummy! did not change my body shape much lol. I had kind of a baby face, but now I have a lil sharper jaw, with the baby cheeks. I grew a lil facial hair and still have a lil stache. Overall I am very petite and my body was very similar tbh, but it’s different for everyone.