I'm 26 and hopefully starting in the next month or so. Honestly, I'd say bone structure is the most important thing. Hell, some men with small frames could pass as women w/o hrt at 60; especially with ffs and body work. I really hate my bone structure, primarily my hands... but nothing will change that. I'm trying to get past it, but it's tough.
I'd say at 27 you'll probably get noticeable results as a lot can change, and your still young enough that some things more than likely will change to an extent or maybe a lot. Something's are set now that your through puberty, BUT, technically speaking, you may not be through puberty 100% in some aspects. You could have some more masculinizing to do. Your bone structure won't change and you probably won't develop a totally female body or face, but if things change enough (maybe if even just muscle bulk and skin texture) then you can always enhance your appearance with surgery. It really sucks. I'd rather be all natural, but I realize that more than likely I'll need several enhancement surgeries to be remotely satisfied. Then there is the fear that after surgeries I'll look a bit off.
It really is tough being transgendered. I wish that I was a CIS female, a small framed transwoman, or even a CIS male. I pretty much just want the awkwardness of my life to stop. I just want to be comfortable with myself. I'm hoping that I end up physically passing. I'm sure in some situations I will, but who knows what the percentage of my passing will be; I estimate the potential at 5%-99%. I'm hoping to physically get to a point where someone would look at me and say "man, she must have played college basketball or something" or where someone might think "is she trans... nah, probably just tall and well built." Basically I just want to be comfortable with who I am. I want to be happy and I get the feeling that I'll never be happy as I am right now and these feelings will never go away. The potential to have a life as what I feel is my appropriate gender is enough for me to take the risk. I'm pretty terrified and alone right now though, and it's depressing to think of what I may have looked like if I started younger. You can have great results at any age, but if you feel like the feelings will never stop then its probably best to start now. In ten years you could be in the same boat, just a bit further down the line and in a worse position to transition then you are now.
Anyway, whether I'm seen as a CIS female or a transwoman, I'm just trying to be comfortable with who I am, not who I could have been. I guess that's the goal of transitioning; to become comfortable regardless of whether you pass. I'm hoping at the least I can become a pretty ts. I can do a solid female voice already and I'd consider VFS. If my body and voice are feminine enough then I may just tell people I was born with acromegaly if it ever comes up and I'm uncomfortable with saying that I'm trans. And women are born with acromegaly and other physical disorders, as are men. Many, probably all of them, wish things were different, but they still live their lives. Just think of yourself as a woman who was born with a birth defect or hormone deficiency... since that's basically what you are. I may even tell some people that I played college basketball and had some tryouts with the WNBA for fun...
