Susan's Place Transgender Resources

So, guys, I was wondering, for those of you who were hairy pre-T, how hairy did you get after T? I'm already pretty hairy (slight moustache, snail trail, etc.) and when I go on T I don't want to be like, a bear. Also, how long does it take to grow a smallish beard (a short one) once you start T? Once you get a significant amount of facial hair growing in, does it take any longer to grow than a biological male beard?
I've watched some ftm videos on youtube, and most of them say that it grows in very patchy and not very much. (Mind you, a lot of the guys I watched hadn't been on T for more than a year and a half, something like that)
I'm also terrified of the male-pattern baldness, since I'm pretty happy with my thick hair (and hairline) right now, and I know it'll probably be a year or two before I get anywhere close to T, but how does that effect you guys on T; How long did it take from starting T for your hairline to actually recede (ages would help in this question)?
I hear it doesn't have much of an effect if your in your early twenties or younger, but I'm still pretty nervous about that..
Anyway, my thanks in advance!

Most of these questions can pretty much be answered with one word. Genetics.

Look at the men in your family. It doesn't mean it's going to be an accurate answer, there are variations, but it's the best way to get an idea of what might happen.

I'm sure you've heard this all before but it's impossible to predict what changes you'll get and how quickly you'll get them. It's completely determined by your genetics, your T dose and how your body uses the T.

All I can do is give my own experience as an example:

I was probably slightly hairier than average pre-T as a reference point.

Pre-T
Slightly hairy stomach
Hairy legs upto halfway up thigh
Fairly male hairline
Only peachfuzz on face

on T (approx 7.5 months)
Hairy stomach, noticible chest hair
Legs so hairy they look carpeted
New hairs appearing everywhere (shoulders, back, bum cheeks etc)
Facial hair in patches, mostly sideburn, chin and neck.
No hair loss on head

I have a limited understanding of how hairs mature, simply they start as "Vellus" hairs (peachfuzz) and T stimulates the hair follicle to turn it into "Terminal hair, aka proper facial hair. It can be a fairly long process for the hairs to change but when the become a terminal hair they will grow at the same rate as any other mans beard.

On the hairline Q, I'm 20 but I doubt mine will change much anytime soon. My dads hair is starting to thin on top but he's mid 50's so I'm not too worried.

Quote from: Kvall on September 06, 2010, 02:57:19 PM
You should look first at your father: is his hair receding? Is he going bald? If the answer is no, then it is unlikely that you will go bald, because it means you are genetically protected from the most common forms of MPB. If the answer is yes, look at your mother's father, and any brothers old enough to possibly experience balding, for an idea of your risk factor.

The primary forms of MPB are recessive and linked to the X chromosome, and so trans men theoretically should have a reduced chance of balding because they only need one of the X chromosomes to carry the dominant, non-balding allele. However, some have challenged this and suggested that trans men may have different but unknown risk factors that cause them to be more susceptible to other forms of balding.

just wanted to add that you should look at your mother's side of the family as well as your father, because as Kvall explained, pattern baldness is supposedly on the x-chromosome.
Cis-guys only need to look at their mother's side, it is said, but that's certainly not true for my family, so it will not give you a definite answer (my brother has a full head of hair like my dad, while on my mother's side of the family, there's patter baldness everywhere).

Quote from: Berren on September 06, 2010, 01:12:19 PM
So, guys, I was wondering, for those of you who were hairy pre-T, how hairy did you get after T? I'm already pretty hairy (slight moustache, snail trail, etc.) and when I go on T I don't want to be like, a bear. Also, how long does it take to grow a smallish beard (a short one) once you start T? Once you get a significant amount of facial hair growing in, does it take any longer to grow than a biological male beard?
I've watched some ftm videos on youtube, and most of them say that it grows in very patchy and not very much. (Mind you, a lot of the guys I watched hadn't been on T for more than a year and a half, something like that)
I'm also terrified of the male-pattern baldness, since I'm pretty happy with my thick hair (and hairline) right now, and I know it'll probably be a year or two before I get anywhere close to T, but how does that effect you guys on T; How long did it take from starting T for your hairline to actually recede (ages would help in this question)?
I hear it doesn't have much of an effect if your in your early twenties or younger, but I'm still pretty nervous about that..
Anyway, my thanks in advance!

Like most people have already mentioned genetics has a lot to do with how all of these things will turn out. I've been on T for 3 years and had no change as far as hair loss or receding hair line, but the men in my family tend not to have this issue at all. My grandfather is in his late 70s and still barely has his hair thinning.

Body hair went similar. I was always pretty hair for a girl, sounds like we are kind of similar in that trait, slight mustache, tummy trail and my arms and legs were hairier than normal. However that changed but not much. I am hairier but not even close to being a bear by any means. I have more hair, it grows longer than before and it grows in areas it didn't before (like my butt and chest) but the biggest change was the hair I already had is just darker and longer. Think about the men in your family and compare them to yourself. The men in my family have body hair that pretty much matches mine, although I am hairier than my brother I am pretty much my father's equal on that note.

For facial hair I was able to have a small goatee and mustache within 3 months, it reached it's maximum fullness in about 6 months to a year. I dye it with the men's facial hair dye because it grows in lighter in some areas than in others, but I've always had both dark and blonde hair on my body... now that just seems to be a challenge for my face lol. Recently I had more facial hair growth but don't really know what has caused it, I actually just started a thread asking about it called "random facial hair growth?" if you want to check it out, it has more to do with the specifics of what is going on with my hormone levels right now that could have caused this if it isn't just normal... after 3 years though I don't see it as being normal that I'd suddenly begin getting more facial hair.

Thanks for these replies, you guys. 8>
Before, I was kind of under the impression that a lot of the results on T would be the same for transmen (like hair growth rate etc.) but I realise it has a lot more to do with genetics than I thought. I'll have a look around for semi-recent photographs of my family, since I don't see that much of non immediate family. Also, my dad at 53 is pretty bald on top, and grey/black at the back. Actually, talking about his hair has made me remember this picture you guys might be interested to see? This is him (left) and his brother. I think he was about 19 here.
(https://www.susans.org/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi55.tinypic.com%2Fv641ma.jpg&hash=1463989c8033bd750c541903b03968434dd00ba8)

It was quite interesting to read all of these, thank you guys very much, you cleared up a lot of things for me.

OMG, why is it always the guys who had rockin hair when they were young who start loosing it? I'm sure there are tons of guys out there who buzz or shave their heads that could loose the hair instead without even minding or noticing lol.