I started at 24-25, but it does come down to genetics. I am very fortunate with my bone structure and other naturally feminine features.

I know someone who is younger than me but much more masculine bone structure and unfortunately will need FFS.

You friend should be prepared for the possibility that FFS will be a requirement, it can be the case for anyone at any age (well, not in your case, but anyone after the age of 20ish when bone structure is fixed).

Having said that, I am convinced that younger the better, not so much because of the actual changes... but just being younger in general is easier I feel, socially and physically. But that's just how I feel, plenty have successfully transitioned socially and physically in their 50s too.

Quote from: Aleah on May 07, 2013, 08:50:18 PM
Having said that, I am convinced that younger the better, not so much because of the actual changes... but just being younger in general is easier I feel, socially and physically. But that's just how I feel, plenty have successfully transitioned socially and physically in their 50s too.

Perhaps ^^^ this is true. I feel the word transitions does not apply in my case. Let me explain. My body has change under HRT, and perhaps small nuances in my brain have changed too. Obviously my choices on the kind of  "threads" I wear have changed but at the core of myself I am the same "bad ass," bitch-on-wheels" I was at 20, 30 or 40. I did not went from macho activities like riding dirt-bikes to crocheting....get my drift

I did 2 puberties...one started around 19....went for almost 10 years...

Restarted at 39 and I am developing waay better than when
I was younger....

How much t do you have naturally?
What is your racial background? Some do better imo...
Do you smoke?
Eat a proper diet?
And of course skin care is about the most important
Thing to me...

I started with a very tiny frame 5 ft 11 @ 140 lbs. .l

Well I started in my 30s and it took exactly 73 days to get she'd and her'd. I would have dismissed it if it was one or even two peopl but it was a lot of people. TBH, I think I look the same as I ever did and I took a picture of myself and at first I was like "wow i do look 100 percent female and even a lil pretty" and now I look at it and I think I look 100 percent male and do not know why this is happening. I have really short hair too and I wasn't wearing makeup (well foundation) and was dressed like a boy.

I turn 26 in 3 days and i've been on HRT for 10 months and a few weeks, So she will still most likely get good results.

I started at almost 29 and never get seen as anything other than female. But I have to admit... being 6'1" and starting late is going to be really tough. It depends on body shape at that point as usually, hips come up higher on cisgendered women and at taller stature is harder to mask for trans women. Also, at 26 bone growth in the face has been taking place for years. We're kidding ourselves if we expect somebody who starts out in their mid 20s to come out as good as somebody who starts as 9. You have to be ridiculously lucky for that and I've only seen maybe, MAYBE 1 other person in real life who has started that late and passed exceptionally well.

So yeah, I think your concerns are valid and you have every reason to want to shield her from too much optimism.

Oh, and before people start quoting me and saying "WHAT ABOUT ME WHAT ABOUT ME??!" ... I said real life. Pictures don't tell the whole tale.

Nothing that can't be remedied with style, poise, and confidence.

Perhaps FFS will be necessary, it is hard to know without seeing her face.

The tricky thing is not knowing what will simply make her happy.. i.e. will she only be happy with herself if she passes flawlessly? Then it's possible FFS will be in order. Or maybe just knowing who she is and being happy with her life will be more than enough. Everyone is different, and really any amount of happiness is possible if she's in the right head-space.

I started at the age of 21, I am now 23.

I got good results, 2yrs 4 months in, I look female and never am mistaken as a male. I got good female curves and my skin looks a like a ladies. I got nice size breast C's going on D's . The hormones reacted well with my body.

Wow to start at 9, you are very lucky. I would have to have being a teenage girl.

 I started out very early as well, I can't really offer much advice other than to just try it out. The only guarantee would have been if she started HRT somewhere in her teens. From the stats your'e giving, I think she will be quite large.. It can go either way in my opinion. How she maintains herself while on hormones will make a big difference. I know many girls who get the mad munchies while on hormones and end up HUGE. At her age I can imagine needing lazer hair removal, FFS, and maybe even implants basically the works, a true transition experience.. But I don't know what she looks like so it's hard.

I do drag and alot of the girls who are mid 20s to 30s go on hormones, what I notice mainly is they soften up in the face and get a bit chubby all over.. That's about all.

I don't think it's a good thing for her to believe she will turn out fish and passable 100%. It may lead to disappointment when she doesn't look like you or how she expected. She just needs to try it out and see if she likes the results.

Quote from: yasuko14 on May 10, 2013, 03:03:28 PM
At her age I can imagine needing lazer hair removal, FFS, and maybe even implants basically the works, a true transition experience.. But I don't know what she looks like so it's hard.

I do drag and alot of the girls who are mid 20s to 30s go on hormones, what I notice mainly is they soften up in the face and get a bit chubby all over.. That's about all.

I don't think it's a good thing for her to believe she will turn out fish and passable 100%. It may lead to disappointment when she doesn't look like you or how she expected. She just needs to try it out and see if she likes the results.

No offense but this hasn't been my experience or many other people's experience. I'm 30 and I can tell you my face is softening, my chest measurements are (32" band; 35" bust), and I can definitely see the beginnings of fat redistribution below my waist. Will I turn out like a voluptous 20 year old. No. But to imply that if you don't start real young you will not pass is wrong, wrong, wrong.  I have seen 15 year olds more masculine then I ever was pre-HRT so age is not everything. It's genetics. Not age. The way age plays a factor is in the efficiency of the body to change.

BTW, I'm only at 11 weeks HRT and I go out basically with really short hair and in androgynous boyish clothes and I get she'd. So they are not being polite since I am presenting as male. Yet, I am gendered female, as of Wednesday. That's by seven people. I counted.

started at 30,  and i have responded very well.  It really does depend on alot of factors just cant say until transitioning.   I have seen 18 year olds with bad transitions and 25 year olds with phenomenal results

Quote from: girl you look fierce on May 10, 2013, 03:40:42 PM
Well, I think there is a lot of variety in how lucky you're gonna get after puberty and you can kinda tell based on what a person looks like. Not knowing about the OP's friend it is really hard to say...

6'1 is a definite strike though. I kinda wonder, for the tall girls with tougher puberties, do they still get to the point of just nobody ever knowing? It feels like occasionally some people DO pass a point, even at younger ages, where the options for how people see them become "trans" or "male" and cis female is just not doable.

It's pretty unfair how varied it is

That's a very good point. And 6'1 is tall. And there is definitely a point some people pass where they may be irreversibly masculine. I had a pretty awesome starting point being fairly androgynous so I probably got lucky.

Quote from: girl you look fierce on May 10, 2013, 09:02:27 PM
BTW OP you should probs just say that it's you you're talking about, and drop the google images avatar (lol)

Haha! I hadn't thought of that being a possibility.. Brilliant

It is the internet after all! How would we know?

Either way, it doesn't really matter - - it is a good topic of conversation And yet, as it has been said before, it depends so much on genetics. It's so impossibly hard to tell how successful a transition might be without at least a photo. And even then, it is still hard to predict the future. So many of us could look back to our before photos and post them here in the "could I pass one day" thread and probably half of the ones that didn't need FFS would be told they would need some form of it, and we could go on and on for days guessing. The bottom line is- some will have it easier than others. It's not only genetics, but also how much you are willing to invest in finding a look that works for you.. which comes from experience and our individual abilities to persevere through the mistakes we have to make in order to get somewhere that is "passable".

Honestly (and I don't know if this is just a girly girl thing), I feel like I will always be working on my "look" and my body. It's something I enjoy doing.

Okay, all, we need to stop the speculation.

Lots of people use images from the net as avatars.  I'm not really a marble statue of a Greek deity.

I don't recall the XxHaileyxX saying that avatar was really her.  The issue is what can a 26-year old MtF expect from HRT.

I am not going to allow personal attacks.

Quote from: Jamie D on May 10, 2013, 10:02:55 PM
Okay, all, we need to stop the speculation.

Lot's of people use images from the net as avatars.  I'm not really a marble statue of a Greek deity.

I don't recall the XxHaileyxX saying that avatar was really her.  The issue is what can a 26-tear old MtF expect from HRT.

I am not going to allow personal attacks.

All love no hate lovie, just sharing..

Thank you for sharing - Jamie D

Quote from: girl you look fierce on May 10, 2013, 03:40:42 PM
Well, I think there is a lot of variety in how lucky you're gonna get after puberty and you can kinda tell based on what a person looks like. Not knowing about the OP's friend it is really hard to say...

6'1 is a definite strike though. I kinda wonder, for the tall girls with tougher puberties, do they still get to the point of just nobody ever knowing? It feels like occasionally some people DO pass a point, even at younger ages, where the options for how people see them become "trans" or "male" and cis female is just not doable.

It's pretty unfair how varied it is

My youngest (natal) daughter, age 19, is 6-feet tall and still growing.  (Her brother is 6-foot 6-inches.)  Tallness has little to do with female presentation.  No one would mistake her for a boy.

Quote from: Jamie D on May 10, 2013, 10:08:09 PM
My youngest (natal) daughter, age 19, is 6-feet tall and still growing.  (Her brother is 6-foot 6-inches.)  Tallness has little to do with female presentation.  No one would mistake her for a boy.

So true, which brings us back to how important presentation is!

I've said it before and I'll say it agian... anyone can "pass". It's just how you personally define the word that can put you in a bad head space. For most (myself included) I think just having someone respect the fact that you are female is enough. I know I still have a "trans" look most of the time and I'm fine with it. Even if I get a wide eyed stare it just kind of cracks me up. Um... Hi there, creeper!

Quote from: Jennygirl on May 10, 2013, 10:20:03 PM
So true, which brings us back to how important presentation is!

I've said it before and I'll say it agian... anyone can "pass". It's just how you personally define the word that can put you in a bad head space. For most (myself included) I think just having someone respect the fact that you are female is enough. I know I still have a "trans" look most of the time and I'm fine with it. Even if I get a wide eyed stare it just kind of cracks me up. Um... Hi there, creeper!

No way... They're staring cause you look lovely

i agree. as someone who was 4'10 until i started blockers and is now 5'10ish i love being a baby giraffe. its great to be tall and yup woman come in all shapes and sizes

Hey. I guess we have to work with what we have