So, I have an appointment this coming wednesday (17th) with my gender therapist. I hold no expectations with her decisions, though I hope they are in favor of HRT.
I am 26 years old, and I have been catching alot of tidbit info on age and hormones. What kind of changes in the face would a 26 year old compared to earlier age 20 transitioners?
Is the face fixed into a male predominant appearance?
Is fat distribution still similar? Like distribution to the cheeks?
Am I looking at fewer benefits of HRT now that I am 26?
I met someone around your age. Just about the same as early 20.
some 50-60 Y.o mtf transsexuals take HRT and they had good results. I don't think it's all down to what your age is. of course if you start HRT before puberty the results are better.
I started HRT at age 65. My face has definitely filled in. I now have slightly pudgy cheeks after being skinny to slender all my life.
But, as always, YMMV.
- Kate
I started HRT shortly after my 48th birthday
Do I look like a 48-1/2 year old guy?
Oh, and I took this pick about 2 mo.s ago
Quote from: S.Heidi on March 10, 2010, 12:22:24 AM
So, I have an appointment this coming wednesday (17th) with my gender therapist. I hold no expectations with her decisions, though I hope they are in favor of HRT.
I am 26 years old, and I have been catching alot of tidbit info on age and hormones. What kind of changes in the face would a 26 year old compared to earlier age 20 transitioners?
Is the face fixed into a male predominant appearance?
Is fat distribution still similar? Like distribution to the cheeks?
Am I looking at fewer benefits of HRT now that I am 26?
hi heidi, im 27 and where you are wondering how things will work out for me... i think alot alot can be done some of the forum members here transitioned a decade or more later that we are, and they turned into very beautiful women. yeah, i think we arent going to get the benifits that we would have ten years ago, but as i said, there are examples on here that gave me lots of hope and also lots of respect for what modern medicine can do for us- if we have the money...
It's definitely better to start earlier (if you're sure of course), but results are extremely individual -- HRT works great for some of our... wiser members, and sometimes it doesn't work quite as well even for people who start young. 26 is a good age to start -- there's something about bone growth that changes at 27 if I remember. I think a lot of us wish we could have started at, oh... zero?
Basically, no, you're really almost probably not missing out on anything by starting at 26.
I started at 26 (9th november 2008 to be exact) the reason I'm not exactly the looker is mostly bad genetics and lack of body weight. yeah it would be nice to have started 10 or 15 years ago, but 'ya gotta work with what's at hand today (because waiting just delays getting it fixed).
Not long ago I was watching "this emotional life" on PBS, and they said that if you look at the length of the telomeres (sp?) in someone's cells you can tell their genetic age, and see if that lines up with how old they really are. I found it interesting that people who were caregivers of people with terminal conditions or that had a history of depression were "older" then their years.
My point by this is, we really may not be as old or young as our age seems to suggest. I would love to see a real study on the effects of HRT on people vs their genetic age, but I get the feeling the results lines up more to that than the actual numbers of years a person has lived.
I tried starting at 20 but I wasn't forceful enough with an obstructive GP actually started 22, I do feel guilty and I've not forgiven myself yet for waiting the last two years but even 4 years before that aswell, but I know deep down it dosen't really matter when you start 20 or 40 you will always wish you had gone sooner.
*Sigh*
:P as for stress and sadness aging you quicker. Oh jeeze I hope not, although it would explain why I've been getting gray hairs since I was 19 and now am starting to get wrinkles too lol I must be in my Mid-thirties if that theory is correct.
I think it also depends on your particular bone structure and how much masculinization you received. ie. a 40 year old with a smaller, slighter bone structure might better off than a 20 year old with larger, more robust features. There's so much variety in masculinized faces and bodies, it can't be put simply down to age.
I started at 54. Lose muscle mass, some weight and began filling out. Most in the bust line, but some in the behind. I am tall ( 5' 10" ) and around 145 lbs now.
Many don't believe me when I tell my age, they all think I am a lot younger. But that seems to be the norm for Transpeople.
So HRT is YMMV.
Jeez, put those breasts away Virginia, I'm going blind here :-*
lol
I like seeing the miles on people... ;)
age can play a difference, but I'm also a strong believer that genetics plays an even bigger role.
I started HRT when I was 26 (I'm now 31) and I seem to be fine. I know younger girls who started younger and had a harder time with looks or breast growth, and some didn't. I know several girls older than me that have bigger breasts than me and look drop dead gorgeous, others, not so much.
I know that sounds hit-and-miss, but that's how it rolls. That doesn't mean you shouldn't go ahead - and honestly, trying to judge if you'll do good or not before even going on HRT doesn't work. I've known girls who, before HRT, thought they'd never look good and they'd never pass and they'd need massive surgery. They then go on HRT and they look stunning and are hit on constantly. A lot of changes can happen.
Beyond changes, self-confidence in who you are makes a huge difference. You can look amazing, but if you have no confidence in who you are -- namely, a woman -- even with perfect looks and voice you're not going to get far. It takes time to build that confidence and to own it. It can take years, but the psychological aspects are very important and give you a foundation to build upon. What you think is what you become.
So, take that time to psychological be yourself and stick to it. Then, use the tools to build upon it, such as HRT, voice training, make-up, surgery -- all of those things. They are tools, but they won't make you a woman -- only you can make you a woman, and you can only do that by being yourself and owning your womanhood. A lot of TS girls will focus on getting acceptance from others, constantly seeking validation that they are a woman. That's fine, and natural and it feels great to have that validation; however, if you don't validate and accept yourself and own your womanhood, all of the validation from others will be fleeting, and you'll double guess yourself and feel like you've gotten no where. It's about confidence in who you are and knowing who you are.
I might not have the best of confidence sometimes. I find that I'll look at my picture and think I look horrible. I'll think my voice sounds like crap. I find that I will tear myself down sometimes and I suffer from self-esteem and depression problems. But, at the end of the day, no matter how awful I might look, I know who I am and I own my womanhood. I am a woman. Period. Others sense that, and I find it makes a huge difference. I don't get weird looks, I don't get people asking me if I'm a man or a woman, or people calling me "sir."
Yes, it took time to get to this point. It's part of the transition. It's not going to happen over night, but I'm a strong believer that how you carry yourself psychologically in the aspects of knowing -- not wanting to be, or hoping to be, but knowing -- the difference is huge.
The other stuff, age, genetics, are things we really can't always control. I would have loved to start HRT when I was 15, but it wasn't available then. I'm sure most TS girls would say the same. We can't go back in time to change that, but we can do what we can now and own our womanhood. I am a woman, this is who I am.
Use the tools of HRT, surgery, clothing, make-up, what ever you choose to help you on your journey to yourself. But, always own yourself. Be true to yourself. Transition is about becoming yourself, your true self. It's a journey, with a lot of ups and downs, but always keep in mind that you are transitioning for you, not the rest of the world. Always, always be true to yourself. In the end, yourself is all you have.
Quote from: Valeriedances on March 10, 2010, 09:25:51 PM
I started HRT at 48 and had a good response to hormones, so don't be discouraged by age.
Would I have had a better result at age 20? I think so, but who knows, maybe not even the scientists. My endocrinologist told me that it is a new science and they still don't know how it all works for us. I wish I had that option then, but I didn't. It is sad, but now at last I'm blooming.
I started HRT in my late 30's and I haven't had much results. 10 years later I look about the same as before I started. But HRT reacts differently on different people no matter what age.
I started HRT in the summer of 2000 at the age of fifty. I just turned sixty two weeks ago. In the intervening decade, changes have been gradual, not extreme, but decidedly welcome and pleasing. Fortunately, I never had any problem with unwanted side effects. I seem to thrive on estrogen.
I'm finding the weight gain to be a bit bothersome; even though I go to the gym every day without fail, it's difficult to control my appetite. Hair growth on my legs has more or less ceased (it was never very luxuriant, thank goodness) while head hair seems to be hanging in there very nicely.
I don't make it a habit to think of What Might Have Been if I'd started transition in my youth. It wasn't in the cards back then, and that's okay; things play out as they're supposed to, and I'm well content. Still, there are times I look at the pretty young sisters with a trace of wistfulness and think, "I coulda been a contenduh!" (https://www.susans.org/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fforums.snapstream.com%2Fvb%2Fimages%2Fsmilies%2Fwink.gif&hash=b3605d5fd1e8746e8296093375058d39fb20a909)
~Lannie~
EDIT: Removed link