Does HRT create cellulite?

[melanie maritz]

I have been wondering this for a long time.  Many girls say all girls have cellulite, just in varying degrees of how bad it is.  And HRT will make our fat be distributed in a female way, so does that mean I will now get cellulite on my legs?

Oh, and another question, I won't have man boobs at all will I? I won't have to have surgery to make my boobs look more female?

[Beverly]

I have been wondering this for a long time.  Many girls say all girls have cellulite, just in varying degrees of how bad it is.  And HRT will make our fat be distributed in a female way, so does that mean I will now get cellulite on my legs?

I now have cellulite on my upper legs.

Oh, and another question, I won't have man boobs at all will I? I won't have to have surgery to make my boobs look more female?

Everyone's boobs are different. The bra you wear will have more effect on how they look than surgery unless you plan to be a topless model.

[luna nyan]

Cellulite is part and parcel of fat structure - how much you get boils down to how much fat you accumulate around that area and your disposition.

Man boobs are fat deposits in the chest area.  HRT causes glandular formation along with fat accumulation.  Breast development varies so much that there is no way to really predict whether or not you will want breast augmentation.

[KayXo]

I get the feeling that cellulite is NOT inevitable in women. Perhaps a constant stream of E (versus ups and downs seen in women during menstrual cycle) can prevent it or/and eating right. http://www.freeacnebook.com/11-14.htm. I have some but it has lessened, I think, since upping my dose of E and switching to injectables. Eating less protein too, perhaps. Not sure. Has to do with water retention.

If you are on an effective dose for you, you should develop female looking breasts after some time. Progesterone may or may not help as well. Time will tell but I wouldn't worry about this one for sure, more about the first. I don't think bras will make a difference at all.

[androgynouspainter26]

Melanie,

It's not an inevitability at all-it mostly depends on how much you weigh, and where that weight ends up going.  If you exercise, and control how much weight is going to your hips specifically, you should be ok.  Generally ~15~ pounds is all you should expect to gain.  Any more than that, and you can begin to worry about developing celulite.

As for breasts, it really depends; I'm going to have to disagree with the other girls who have posted here.  Unless you're incredibly lucky, you probably won't make it past a B cup (and for broad chested girls, that's really nothing).  I've been on HRT for a year and a half now (I started at seventeen, too) and I'm still a AA.  Everyone is different, and your results may not be typical-but if you're looking for a full, feminine chest, and aren't the luckiest woman on earth, I'd start looking into breast augmentation.

[KayXo]

it mostly depends on how much you weigh, and where that weight ends up going.  If you exercise, and control how much weight is going to your hips specifically, you should be ok.

Thin women also get cellulite, women who exercise regularly get it. Nothing to do with weight. Sometimes, women who are more fat end up with LESS cellulite than their girlfriends who are thinner.

As for breasts, it really depends; I'm going to have to disagree with the other girls who have posted here.  Unless you're incredibly lucky, you probably won't make it past a B cup (and for broad chested girls, that's really nothing).  I've been on HRT for a year and a half now (I started at seventeen, too) and I'm still a AA.  Everyone is different, and your results may not be typical-but if you're looking for a full, feminine chest, and aren't the luckiest woman on earth, I'd start looking into breast augmentation.

Not so sure. I personally think that most transwomen are undertreated and that's why overall breast development is usually poor in that population. If treatment were more aggressive all the while minimizing risks, things could be quite different. Or it could just be that growth hormone levels are too low. But, for now, I speculate the former.

[Just Ole Me]

Women tend to have cellulite as compared to men as women have thinner skin which tends to allow the fat cells to be more easily seen. It's as simple and sad as that.

Kay

[androgynouspainter26]

True, but you need fat deposits of a certain thickness to develop cellulite in the first place.  I suppose this only applies to people who are VERY thin, like I am-I'm not sure about the OP, but that's my two cents.

Treatment was more aggressive a while back; my understanding is that as the risks have become better understood, so treatment has become more conservative.  Even back then, breast growth was pretty pathetic.  It's very difficult to control other risk factors in patients besides dosage...besides, isn't the general consensus within the medical comunity that past a certain point throwing more estrogen into the mix won't have any effect at all?  Don't get me wrong, I hope you are right!  But I'm not sure if you are.

[Hikari]

I certainly have cellulite now....Kinda frustrating, but my mother did too, even in areas she didn't have much fat in. I just take it in stride as it just being another part of being a woman.

[KayXo]

Treatment was more aggressive a while back; my understanding is that as the risks have become better understood, so treatment has become more conservative.  Even back then, breast growth was pretty pathetic.  It's very difficult to control other risk factors in patients besides dosage...besides, isn't the general consensus within the medical comunity that past a certain point throwing more estrogen into the mix won't have any effect at all?  Don't get me wrong, I hope you are right!  But I'm not sure if you are.

If truly risks had been carefully reviewed and understood, there would be no reason to be that conservative with bio-identical estrogen and progesterone. Most of the risks observed are with non bio-identicals and many have trouble distinguising between both. That being said though, as always, the lowest effective dose is best.

I personally have seen much improvement from switching to injections where my levels have really shot up, to pregnancy levels (up to 3,800 pg/ml). Both my family doctor and endocrinologist aren't concerned. Throwing more estrogen at me has had more effect on me as it can have in several other women. But, that's just my own situation. Some may do quite well on MUCH lower doses. It's up to the doctor to decide what dose is most effective for you. If you disagree, get a second opinion from another doctor.

[KayXo]

Women tend to have cellulite as compared to men as women have thinner skin which tends to allow the fat cells to be more easily seen. It's as simple and sad as that.

That indeed may be a factor for why we get cellulite as women.

[melanie maritz]

I'm on the highest dose of estrogen that the brand of pills I'm on has I hope I get results faster now but I'll try to not expect anything unrealistic.

Thanx everyone for contributing to my question, all the answers were really eye opening about the cellulite. I don't think I have thin skin, but that will probably change in time.

I'm on hormones for about a month now, and I keep seeing things I don't know if I'm imagining them, like I just now looked at my arm hait and it seems thinner and softer, but I don't know because I haven't really looked at it in a month. It seems lighter too but my leg hair looks the same.

Oh, and my nipples have become quite sensitive and like it hurts a little if I just move my hand over them

[Nero]

I've seen cellulite on skinny porn stars. 
It is to do with the skin and where most the fat is stored. Fat men can also get it, but women of all sizes have it.

[KayXo]

I'm on hormones for about a month now, and I keep seeing things I don't know if I'm imagining them, like I just now looked at my arm hait and it seems thinner and softer, but I don't know because I haven't really looked at it in a month. It seems lighter too but my leg hair looks the same.

Oh, and my nipples have become quite sensitive and like it hurts a little if I just move my hand over them

Good signs.

[KayXo]

Fat men can also get it, but women of all sizes have it.

Very rare in men and actually, it is said that 85-90 % of women have cellulite, not ALL women. Who knows? Seems like Asian and black girls have much less or none, based on my own observations. Also, the younger you are, the less you have, in general, it seems.

[Nero]

Fat men can also get it, but women of all sizes have it.

Very rare in men and actually, it is said that 85-90 % of women have cellulite, not ALL women. Who knows? Seems like Asian and black girls have much less or none, based on my own observations. Also, the younger you are, the less you have, in general, it seems.

Well, I didn't say ALL women. I didn't as a woman. But the vast majority do have some. It shows up mostly in the thighs and buttocks where most women have some fat. And yes, it's rare in men, but not fat men really. If you've got a fat ass, that's where it usually shows up. The reason it's rare in men is a combination of thicker skin and comparatively less fat - a thin woman usually has more fat than an average man.

I don't know about race, though I suppose it may be harder to see. Younger women not likely to have it? Well, I suppose you haven't been to many titty bars...

[KayXo]

hahaha! haven't been to those in YEARS!...and you forgot cellulite in the abdominal area ... even arms sometimes, usually in older and quite obese women.

[Nero]

hahaha! haven't been to those in YEARS!...and you forgot cellulite in the abdominal area ... even arms sometimes, usually in older and quite obese women.

Yeah, have seen it in the tummy area, particularly on women who have had kids. Not the arms though!
I think one problem is we as a society have sort of reconceptualized the female body as being flawless with no identifiable markers. But nature just isn't that way. Female bodies are messy, droopy, and go through more than men's (well aside from scars/injuries he may get in war or something. But his body is not necessarily 'designed' to suffer that. Female bodies are designed to go through pregnancy and childbirth - stretch out, get droopy, stretchmarks, cellulite, fat, etc). The sooner society admits female bodies aren't perfect, the better off we'll all be.

As to the original question - I don't know. I think it would depend on original thickness of the skin, how much if any HRT has thinned it, and how much 'female fat' has accumulated - usually the buttocks, thighs, lower tummy. Rest assured, if you do get it, it's normal for women. Fat or thin.

[KayXo]

men's (well aside from scars/injuries he may get in war or something. But his body is not necessarily 'designed' to suffer that.

Actually, they could be because males in nature (mammals) fight for land (and mostly female) possession so perhaps testosterone helps them better recuperate from injuries suffered during battle.

The sooner society admits female bodies aren't perfect, the better off we'll all be.

I agree to a certain extent. I still have this strong suspicion that cellulite can be avoided in females. And I still think that going through hundreds of menstrual cycles is NOT natural whereas experiencing mostly pregnancy and breastfeeding was how nature intended it to be. 

Rest assured, if you do get it, it's normal for women. Fat or thin.

Is it really? I wonder....Read the link I also provided above. Very interesting.

[Nero]

Skimmed the link. Looks like a theory to me. Is it peer reviewed?

Anyhow, it doesn't really matter why women menstruate every month or have cellulite. Just that most do. So, yeah for our time it is normal.