I was getting ready for work this morning and was looking in the mirror and
was startled by how feminine my face looked without any makeup. Not a gradual change
but like it changed magically overnight. My nose/chin of course is still horrible but my
eyes just are looking so much more feminine. I also noticed this after a
shower this weekend that my body shape is really starting to morph even
from just a few days ago. I'm no where close to female yet, just curves
showing in all the right places.
Is that some type of mental thing or has anyone else experienced
a rush of changes... seemingly overnight?
Amanda
I've experienced changes, but not overnight, or in a short period of time.
My skin became smoother, some of my soft tissue became more round. My eyes became a little bit more almond shaped. This was all before my FFS.
I also did start rigorous skin care with moisturizers and toners. Much of this caused my skin to tighten as well. That may have had some effect also.
These changes took from weeks to months. The only thing that seemed to happen quickly was my body hair started to become lighter and smaller in just about three weeks once I started spironolactone.
Mentally as I went on, I could see the woman in me emerge even though I really couldn't point to a specific physical change.
-Sandy
QuoteI could see the woman in me emerge even though I really couldn't point to a specific physical change.
That's why I wonder if it a mental thing... I can't tell you what has changed... I just look
more female. It's weird...nice, but weird... lol.
Amanda
Re: Facial changes from HRT... real or imagined?
Usually imagined.....but occasionally people can get a bit more fat in their face. You cannot change a persons facial structure post puberty but you can sometimes gain more fat in the face and skin becomes softer which gives the impression of improvement or feminisation.
Amanda is also right.....and some reason something is working.......
but then again I did sometimes get percieved as female long before I had ever touched HRT......
Quote from: AlwaysAmanda on April 28, 2008, 10:44:54 AM
Is that some type of mental thing or has anyone else experienced a rush of changes... seemingly overnight?
I sorta thought of it as reaching certain "thresholds," where things sorta "click" suddenly and it seems like you've changed a lot overnight. I don't know if it's from a burst of actual changes, or just a coming-together of the various pieces suddenly.
It happened to me a few times, and in fact it was my *wife* who mentioned it first, not me. I figured I was imagining it too until she said something about it on her own.
~Kate~
No, it's generally a mental shift. Most of the physical changes are slow. That being said, there are some dramatic changes that can happen, but they are usually from other causes than the HRT. Plucking your eyebrows, for example.
I would have to say there are some noticable changes all of a sudden sometimes for me. Some days a lot more than others. It's been 10 mos of HRT and some people I know are definatley noticing a difference in my face....they say there is more of a "glow". It could be the lack of facial hair too, but I am definatley noticing a difference in face, hips, breasts a lot, and my skin feels softer. Also body hair is lightening up...but I am sure some of it psycological changes too...
No Always Amanda - I totally agree with you - it can be almost "overnight" in some cases. Although, realistically it's been changing for months, it's just that it strikes you all of a sudden.
Growing up I was often mistaken for a girl. I have always had very small facial features and have always maintained pretty good skin due to my ethnic background. As a child I was also slightly overweight or "pleasently plump" with "baby fat" so I always appeared softer. As I went thru puberty I lost some of that but I always looked extremely feminine. I always LOVED make-up and that's probably why I am a make-up artist today. Even as a "boy" I often wore make-up but never really felt like I "needed" it the way my little sister or my mother explained they "needed" it (at least mascara & lip gloss and maybe a little blush) before they left the house. As a "boy" I used it more to "perfect" certain features and wore it more in the evenings when I went out with friends or to dinner.
BUT after 7 months on hormones my face has gotten even more of a natural glow and my face has DEFINITELY gained a good deal of fat and softened even more than before. I feel more comfortable in my skin now more than ever but what really striked me was about a month ago when I looked in the mirror and felt my face more than ever NEEDED make-up - not because I was not pretty - or not because I looked like a man - but I saw that freshed, baby-doll looking, washed face that I only saw on my mother & sister in the morning before they awoke and applied their daily regimen of make-up before leaving the house for work or school. It was TRULY an amazing realization & I felt like that sort of came over night.
People who hadn't seen me since I started HRT say if they didn't know I was born male they would have had no clue I wasn't a GG - especially in the face they have said. That's a HUGE compliment but not one I noticed as much because I see myself EVERYDAY! Mind you I'm in the beauty industry so I'm always around mirrors - so whether or not I WANT to see my reflection everyday - I see it more often than most. So those changes didn't seem as apparent to me. But now comparing photos from 3 years ago and today I can tell MAJOR changes in my face.
It's very exciting being that I've only been on HRT 7 months....I can't wait to see what I look like a year from now...3 years from now...10 years from now. That has to be one of the most exciting parts of being transgendered for us - that's knowing that physically things will ONLY get BETTER! Where as many GG fear aging - I look foward to it as I will slowly see the very little bit of boy now displayed in the mirrior disappearing! :)
Quote from: AlwaysAmanda on April 28, 2008, 10:44:54 AM
I was getting ready for work this morning and was looking in the mirror and
was startled by how feminine my face looked without any makeup. Not a gradual change
but like it changed magically overnight. My nose/chin of course is still horrible but my
eyes just are looking so much more feminine. I also noticed this after a
shower this weekend that my body shape is really starting to morph even
from just a few days ago. I'm no where close to female yet, just curves
showing in all the right places.
Is that some type of mental thing or has anyone else experienced
a rush of changes... seemingly overnight?
Amanda
Best thing to do is take pictures every month and compare side by side. You would be shocked. Many people who don't think they are changing any can take a current pic and lay it next to an old one and be shocked. Changes do happen suddenly it seems. Seems like nothing changes for a long time..then one day you wake up and realize there is no hiding it anymore.
I used to have sagging cheeks but after 7 months on HRT, I would say it's a big change. It's almost like I got a face lift.
I think part of the change is my skin... it looks so much better and it makes me
look younger... and the fat has helped so it is a little like a face lift.
I've thought about taking pictures but it's very easy for me to start obsessing over
every little thing so I have held back. I may take some new ones soon just to see
how things have changed the last couple of months.
QuoteGrowing up I was often mistaken for a girl. I have always had very small facial features
I got that a lot... of course the long hair did not help :) But even into my 20's I had very light facial
hair and I was very non-masculine facially. I look back at pictures now and think wow I was really girly.
But T and time really changed things in my thirties... for the worse. :(
Amanda
I started at the end of November last year and have stopped for a week on a couple of occasions. All my skin is much softer, I have mini-boobs (very very mini) with reddish nipples that are often quite hard. I'm sure some fat is transferring lower down, but apart from the pubic area, which is now quite soft and fleshy, I think that's mostly imaginary. Like you I often look in the mirror and get elated because I think I'm looking more feminine, but then I have a reality check and realise that I still have a very male shape :( One thing HRT has definitely done is make me look younger :)
At my age (60) I'm not expecting too much, so I have to be grateful just for the fact that I feel so much better on HRT.
Oh and another thing, I started using my new Braun body and face epilator today (too painful to describe) and I was amazed how soft my facial hair has become - it was coming out at the roots just like soft feathers, not coarse as I imagined it would be.
You are much younger than me Amanda, I think you have a good chance of success.
Best wishes, Louise.
Hi Louise,
You are doing really well... I'd never guess anywhere near 60. Maybe 40 or so. I know that
I look younger too... I guess it's the facial fat. I have fat that is moving around... lol... I noticed last
night my shins that used to be very bony are smooth and rounded... it's something
new everyday. :) :)
Amanda
I noticed changes after about 3 years...compared to my other photos before hrt, slow but its real....quite a thrill when others notice it also... ::)
My cheeks and neck have definitely slenderized since I started.
Quote from: Berliegh on April 28, 2008, 11:08:38 AM
Re: Facial changes from HRT... real or imagined?
Usually imagined.....but occasionally people can get a bit more fat in their face. You cannot change a persons facial structure post puberty but you can sometimes gain more fat in the face and skin becomes softer which gives the impression of improvement or feminisation.
Amanda is also right.....and some reason something is working.......
but then again I did sometimes get percieved as female long before I had ever touched HRT......
Quite wrong.... there is a lot of change possible post puberty uptill 24, but hey, not relevant, Its still very possible to get the shape of ones face to change... theres more fat than you give credit for on theface, and muscle... it makes a difference.
Its also nothing to do with the change itself though. its a 'oh fugg me, is that how i look?' moment. you get them periodically when your self image is too outdated and fixes itself XD
R >:D
I've never taken a single HRT pill / shot / patch, yet the more I allow my femme self to emerge and become comfortable with who I am, the more feminine I appear to myself in the mirror in the morning. The only physical changes have been some eyebrow shaping and thinning and I shave more often, yet I now often see some andro type of person looking back at me, or I can see my femme face almost superimposed over my male face.
Its kind of wierd, nice.... but wierd.
I'm a big believer in the idea that "people see what they want to see"..... hence why no one has ever commented on the size 11 heels next to my GFs size 5.5 heels.... and I believe that the more I accept my femme self, the more I can see of her in me. I wouldn't be surprised if its a matter of self perception
Dawn
apart from the fact hrt DOES make physical change... so it ISNT imagined...
R >:D
I'm hoping it softens my cheekbones, cause I don't want to really look like this sharp elf serial killer or something... As awesome as that is, it would be the kind of person I'd wanna date I'd think, not what I want to be.
As long as I get more fat cells on my face... Right?
Plus I'm 19... So I missed the puberty boat, but there's still stuff that could happen, right?
Quote from: deviousxen on May 13, 2008, 03:46:40 PM
I'm hoping it softens my cheekbones, cause I don't want to really look like this sharp elf serial killer or something... As awesome as that is, it would be the kind of person I'd wanna date I'd think, not what I want to be.
As long as I get more fat cells on my face... Right?
Plus I'm 19... So I missed the puberty boat, but there's still stuff that could happen, right?
Yes you are still very young. If changes are noticed on much older MtF like me... :) You are going to be quite happy with the results I'm sure. Just remember it takes time.
QuoteI don't want to really look like this sharp elf serial killer or something... As awesome as that is, it would be the kind of person I'd wanna date I'd think, not what I want to be.
That is really closed minded... and here I thought i was the only serial killer here :)
QuoteAs long as I get more fat cells on my face... Right?
Plus I'm 19... So I missed the puberty boat, but there's still stuff that could happen, right?
When I posted this I was pretty sure... and now I'm absolutely sure the changes are physical for me.
Oh yea... at 19... I think it's safe to assume... stuff will happen. Yea... it WILL SO happen. Just look at
all the 20 somethings here that started young... they have such great results.
An update too... when I posted this way back on lets see... April 28th I had my first glimpses of Amanda
without makeup... and I've had a couple more since then. It's subtle no doubt but that's all it takes I think.
I've also noticed that my entire face feels more padded no matter where I touch so it's more fat for sure
and not just my imagination.
Amanda
Quote from: AlwaysAmanda on May 13, 2008, 03:58:34 PM
QuoteI don't want to really look like this sharp elf serial killer or something... As awesome as that is, it would be the kind of person I'd wanna date I'd think, not what I want to be.
That is really closed minded... and here I thought i was the only serial killer here :)
QuoteAs long as I get more fat cells on my face... Right?
Plus I'm 19... So I missed the puberty boat, but there's still stuff that could happen, right?
When I posted this I was pretty sure... and now I'm absolutely sure the changes are physical for me.
Oh yea... at 19... I think it's safe to assume... stuff will happen. Yea... it WILL SO happen. Just look at
all the 20 somethings here that started young... they have such great results.
An update too... when I posted this way back on lets see... April 28th I had my first glimpses of Amanda
without makeup... and I've had a couple more since then. It's subtle no doubt but that's all it takes I think.
I've also noticed that my entire face feels more padded no matter where I touch so it's more fat for sure
and not just my imagination.
Amanda
Oh cool! : D Well... I was more worried cause I'm SO SKINNY. I'm TRYING to put on body weight, lol. I take a ton of lactaid and PWN Ice cream by the bowl before bed, cause I heard its added as fat if you don't use it immediately. And thats quite a bit of fat. Maybe my hips need more developing and stuff first... Whatever....
But close minded? Serial killer dark elf things fascinate me! I just don't feel like one!
Trust me... If my mind ever compelled me to kill... I'd be more Genocidal, than Homicidal. Why not annihilate an entire human race? Why go small? If you're in the logic of a psycho killer you legit thinks that people don't deserve it, then I'd off everything cause NOTHINGS INNOCENT. Except people with like... Downs Syndrome. I might spare them or something...
WHY AM I SAYING THIS? I'm too pacifist!!!! XD
QuoteBut close minded? Serial killer dark elf things fascinate me! I just don't feel like one!
Trust me... If my mind ever compelled me to kill... I'd be more Genocidal, than Homicidal. Why not annihilate an entire human race? Why go small? If you're in the logic of a psycho killer you legit thinks that people don't deserve it, then I'd off everything cause NOTHINGS INNOCENT. Except people with like... Downs Syndrome. I might spare them or something...
Just so everyone knows... I was joking LOL...I'm not a serial killer...not that theres anything wrong with that :)
Amanda
Quote from: deviousxen on May 13, 2008, 03:46:40 PM
I'm hoping it softens my cheekbones, cause I don't want to really look like this sharp elf serial killer or something... As awesome as that is, it would be the kind of person I'd wanna date I'd think, not what I want to be.
As long as I get more fat cells on my face... Right?
Plus I'm 19... So I missed the puberty boat, but there's still stuff that could happen, right?
Oh I dont think you missed the puberty boat at all, lol. Im 60 and feel every bit like a 12 year old. I tried to do extensive reading on as much as I could over the last year and there seems to be no hard or fast rules on Hrt and developement. They say the older you are the more linear the developement will be, but yet at 8 months on the hormones I was fitted for a bra in a Maidenform store and was measured at a 38A. All I have to do is look at my DL and there is no mistaking the facial changes. My hips have padded a little along with the tush.
What I am unhappy with is that my skintone on my face has seemed to get a little coarser, my lower face still is boy, the shoulders, hands, feet and other assorted will probably never be changed. But as some have mentioned correctly attitude is a great leveler and I have observed it firsthand in other girls mannerisms. So what it comes down to is that YMMV and that appears to be true. And my twelve year old grandaughter says her boobs are going to be bigger than mine. What can I say.
Hugs
Wendy
Quote from: deviousxen on May 13, 2008, 03:46:40 PM
I'm hoping it softens my cheekbones, cause I don't want to really look like this sharp elf serial killer or something... As awesome as that is, it would be the kind of person I'd wanna date I'd think, not what I want to be.
As long as I get more fat cells on my face... Right?
Plus I'm 19... So I missed the puberty boat, but there's still stuff that could happen, right?
um wendyc: theres MISSING the puberty boat PHYSICALLY, and mentally... she claims to not have had as much male puberty, you cant dispute that, i think its a good thing....
hell, hrt now will do a lot.
dont make me PROVE facial changes with more before/after photos :P
the younger you are, it seems, the faster and more dramatic things are.
R >:D
Well... Kind of missed it in some ways... I really wish I had never developed the hair... I feel like lighting it on fire sometimes... But at least its lessened now.
Well... I also kind of meant that I missed it in the female sense too. If I had done anything about my condition/known ANYTHING about myself when I was 14 or something, I'd be better off in those respects. But yeah... I'm still really skinny, and not the tallest, and have slightly small feet for a male body. My voice is either really high up, or low if I'm tired. I think that can be reworked eventually though...
But most of what people have said about facial changes reassures me quite a bit, cause if that can soften up, then my face will be really girl. Still sharp and intense probably, but passable...
hi... hey there are changes just slow yet they are there. you dont expect them all at once . you know i am 60 & yes for over 4 years that i have been on h r t my s o has seen the changes . much harder for me than some like you younger ones yet for all that its neat . just a thought . ...noeleena....