are the effects of T perminant?

[lost904]

just wondering. i want to go on T so badly...

[Nemo]

Some are, some aren't. Things like facial hair, muscle mass, skin texture and fat redistribution aren't permanent and will kick into reverse if you stop.

Things that *are* permanent include voice changes, body hair, face structure and downstairs growth.

There's probably more, but it's getting late here

[JohnAlex]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hormone_replacement_therapy_(male-to-female)

Irreversible changes
breast development,
enlarged nipples and areolae
stretch marks (for some)

Reversible changes
decreased libido,
redistribution of body fat,
reduced muscle development,
various skin changes,
significantly reduced body hair
change in body odor and sweat production,
less prominence of veins,
ocular changes,
gonadal size

http://www.ftmguide.org/ttherapybasics.html

What will happen if I stop taking T? What changes are permanent?
Voice: The voice should stay at the pitch level that it has reached at the point T therapy is stopped.

Facial/body hair: The hair that has come in on the face and body at the point of stopping T will continue to grow in, but large quantities of new hair will most likely not appear. If an individual has developed a patchy beard, it will probably remain in that same patchy state upon quitting T; he will be able to shave it and it should continue to grow back. It might change slightly in texture or growth rate-- depending in part on whether the individual's ovaries are still active and producing estrogen-- but the beard will not disappear. Electrolysis would be required for permanent hair removal.

Clitoris growth: Will generally stay at the length/thickness it has grown to in its flaccid state.
Muscle/fat changes: Will revert back to more female patterns, if the ovaries are still present and active. If the individual does not have a large body fat percentage to begin with and remains trim, a return to female fat patterns won't be as dramatic.

Hair Loss on Head: There have been different anecdotal reports regarding the rate of hair loss upon stopping T. Some individuals who have quit taking T report that their hair loss stopped immediately. Others report that their hair continued to fall out for a while after stopping T. If an individual has lost some head hair, it most likely will not grow back upon stopping T.

Menstrual cycle: If the ovaries are still working, menses will return.

Skin oils and acne may lessen.

Body scent may change.

Sex drive may decrease.

Red blood cell count and cholesterol levels will probably revert to levels that are closer to the prior, pre-T levels. Again, whether or not an individual has functioning ovaries may play a part in the results, as will overall health.

I think you will probably have to take T for the rest of your life, if you don't want any changes to reverse.

[Nygeel]

It all depends on how long you're on it and how long you're off it.

If you're on it long enough to start growing facial hair and stop the facial hair will thin. I can't say for sure that it will go away or not.
If you're on it long enough to start growing a lot of body hair and stop your body hair will thin. Can't say if it will go away or not.
Muscle mass would likely decrease once you stop taking T so long as you don't make extra effort to build/maintain muscle.
Smells should go back to how they were pre-T. This includes changes in smell of urine, sweat, and "crotch area."
Body fat would re distribute from stomach to hips when stopping T (this would also include facial fat).
Sex drive may decrease when going off T.
Menstruation/periods should start again.
Increased sexual fluids (usually)
Decreased pimples

Things that most likely won't change...
Voice (although some people notice a slightly higher voice after stopping t)
What has grown "down there" won't get smaller (although I do know of somebody who noticed some size decrease)
Scars or changes in skin texture due to pimples

[lost904]

another thing...my dad and uncle are bald, do you think i would go bald if i go on T?

[Nygeel]

another thing...my dad and uncle are bald, do you think i would go bald if i go on T?

It's likely that you would go bald or have some sort of hair loss.

[JohnAlex]

another thing...my dad and uncle are bald, do you think i would go bald if i go on T?

http://www.ftmguide.org/hairloss.html

A note about heredity: Mom, Dad, or both?
While it is a popular belief that a man should look to his mother's side of the family for inherited hair loss, this may not be the most accurate indicator of male pattern baldness. Current medical science has not yet determined exactly how or where the tendency toward MPB arises. It is believed to be genetic, but the genes responsible for MPB have not yet been mapped, and the actual expression of an inherited trait can be dependant on a variety of factors. It is possible that the genetic predisposition for MPB could be inherited from either side of your family.

Some have hypothesized that the tendency toward MPB resides on the "X chromosome" of what are called the "sex chromosomes" (again, this is an idea that has yet to be proven). The sex chromosomes are a pair of chromosomes, usually designated "X" or "Y," that combine to determine the sex and sex-linked characteristics of an individual, with XX usually resulting in a female and XY usually resulting in a male. There are other sex chromosome combinations produced in humans, including X, XXX, XXXX, XXY, and XXXY.

In men born with an XY chromosome pair, the X chromosome is passed by the mother and the Y by the father. Presumably, a large portion of trans men are born with an XX chromosome set, where one X is passed from the mother and the other from the father. Therefore, if the tendency toward male pattern baldness does happen to be linked to the X chromosome, many trans guys would have to consider both sides of the family as potentially passing on the trait.

So if your uncle is on your mom's side, I'd say yes, you have a good chance of going bald.  if he's on your dad's side, then that's only half the answer.  You'd need to look on your mom's side too.

[lost904]

crap, i dont wanna go bald! is anyone else worried about this?

[JohnAlex]

crap, i dont wanna go bald! is anyone else worried about this?

It's a part of life.
Yeah, I'm kinda worried about it.  I know I'll go bald.  my dad started going bald at 25.  the men on my mom's side are bald.  But you know, most older men ARE bald.  So look at it this way, you will pass more when you're balding  

But there's just a lot of things that are a part of life as you get older that you just hand to deal with.  Old age, wrinkles, arthritis, grey/white hair.  You just accept it.  It happens to everyone.  No one's going to think anything of it when it starts to happen to you too.

[Da Monkey]

crap, i dont wanna go bald! is anyone else worried about this?

I used to be so worried about it since some men in my family are bald.

But I realized with transitioning on hormones, you can't just pick and choose what you want. There are pros and cons and it would be happening if you were a cismale anyway.

I wouldn't not take T just for that one reason, it will just become another thing that cisguys worry about that you can be part of hahah.

[Dominick_81]

crap, i dont wanna go bald! is anyone else worried about this?

I'm worried about going bald, but there are things you can take to stop hair loss.

[emil]

actually our chance of going bald is higher than in cis guys, since it seems to be encoded in the x chromosome of which we have two, while cis men only have one. hence you'll have to look at both your parents' relatives because you got one x chromosome from your dad's side.

[Nathan.]

crap, i dont wanna go bald! is anyone else worried about this?

I'm pretty worried about going bald but T is something I need so I just have to deal with it when/if it happens.

[Nygeel]

crap, i dont wanna go bald! is anyone else worried about this?

I'm sort of worried. My dad and all of my siblings have really full heads of hair. My mom has really thin hair. I've had very thick hair my whole life. So, I'm worried but not too worried. Some people I've seen had dramatically receding hairlines by 6 months while I barely have the corners so I'm not THAT worried.

[J.T.]

my hair line has definitely changed... but not going bald (yet).  So, I'm enjoying my hair while i can!

My answer to the original post is YES... because for me I will never go off. 

The emotional effects of T have been without a doubt the greatest change.  I am so much more balanced, calm...

the one thing i wish wasn't permanent, back hair!  I can deal with all the other body hair, but back hair is nasty.

[lost904]

i just dont want to be a clone of my dad. its already bad enough as a female but i do not want to go bald or have a perpetual potbelly the way he does. dont get me wrong, i think my dad is a great looking guy, but im worried id be uglier than i am female.plus ill never find a bf looking like that....im so shallow. "cries" but i want to be male so badly....

[VannaSiamese]

You can take Propetia to help with hair loss, a lot of guys who use steroids take it to help prevent them from going bald. 
Voice change is permanent, sorta... you can train your voice back up and it will become your real voice.  I raised my voice over an octave, and now even when I try to lower my voice it still sounds like a woman.
As far as body/muscle changes... Check my post on my effects of being a boy and bodybuilding on testosterone to taking estrogen and becoming a girl.  https://www.susans.org/forums/index.php/topic,99999.0.html  It will give you an idea of how much your body can change/change back, and the shape that hormones give your muscles. 

[JohnAlex]

i just dont want to be a clone of my dad. its already bad enough as a female but i do not want to go bald or have a perpetual potbelly the way he does. dont get me wrong, i think my dad is a great looking guy, but im worried id be uglier than i am female.plus ill never find a bf looking like that....im so shallow. "cries" but i want to be male so badly....

It's alright.  Don't work yourself up about it.  Everything in life comes with pros and cons.  Focus on the Pros and don't let the cons get you down.
If you don't want to have a "potbelly", then work out   Don't wallow in your disappointments, do something about it when you can. because there will be plenty of other times to wallow in your disappoints when you CAN'T do anything about them.

And like someone else said, there are some things that can be done to help prevent hair loss.
But really, don't even think about being ugly.  Most people are ugly, that is, no one looks like they do on TV. and people know that.  Anyone who gets in a relationship with someone just because they look hot is not going to last.  Relationships last when the two like eachother for who they are.  And you will find someone who likes you for who you are.  there are over 6 billion people on the planet.  You will find someone   don't even worry about that part.

plus, you probably don't have to worry about going bald until you're already married/in a committed relationship, in which case, no one's going to not be with you because you're going bald or something. 
I mean, your dad's got someone even with his potbelly, lol.  My dad started going bald at 25, but he still got married.

People just end up liking someone for who they are, and then their appearances matter less.  As it should be.  Because appearances really shouldn't matter as much as society makes it out to be.

So yeah, focus on the pros.  Focus on the positives.  and Focus on what you CAN do about things you don't like about yourself.