I'm still living as a guy and I've been on the estrogen for about 2 months and it is doing absolutely nothing for me...

My face looks like a f-ing planet - one that is aging and aging terribly.  Never in a million years did I imagine that at age 26 I would start to look this old so fast.

I'm getting acne for the first time in my life which may be from using a lot of new beauty products... I guess you never know how they're going to react with your face.

My hairline is receding, I'm basically going bald and I  have to get hair transplants now, which is just another thing I have to do for this transition to work.

I've struggled for a long time with being a guy that was never happy with how he looked which makes the idea of becoming a woman so terrifying since I desperately want to be a beautiful woman and I'll do anything I have to to achieve that goal one day.

So how do you all deal with aging - and is there a period once you go on the Estrogen when you look just terrible - is it like a really bad puberty with bad skin, but aging on top of it???

When do you begin to have a clear, soft, smooth face because my face looks like it's been run over by a bunch of trucks... 

Hey, I was there. I started hrt at 24. I lost a lot of hair. For me it is coming back back now, a year I started to notice the hair regrowth, but it want fast enough. Give the hormones some time. You will start looking younger.  Make sure you change your skin care if its not working for you. I had to switch to sensitive skin products. Also do some face masks and exfoliate (not rough), that helps to rejuve  the skin and fights against acne.

Many hugs
Harley

For most, 2 months is hardly long enough to have much in the way of noticeable changes..  Give it some time, it doesn't happen overnight..

Quote from: sysm29 on February 18, 2012, 06:49:01 PM
I'm still living as a guy and I've been on the estrogen for about 2 months and it is doing absolutely nothing for me...
........

I've struggled for a long time with being a guy that was never happy with how he looked which makes the idea of becoming a woman so terrifying since I desperately want to be a beautiful woman and I'll do anything I have to to achieve that goal one day.

So how do you all deal with aging -

Good luck with the aging thing. When you find the solution the world would love the answer I can say I look a LOT younger as a woman than I did as a guy. Not sure what that is all about.

I would suggest you drop the beautiful woman goal and just accept looking like any sort of woman as being a reasonable goal. If you turn out not ugly, be happy

gotta give it much longer than 2 months. Also, are you on a t blocker?

Hi sys'
Without being rude and with all due respects, I suggest you are 'still living as a guy' in more ways than one. Both metaphysically as well as metaphorically. Let the 'guy' go. You've been struggling far too long with him, and start to RELAX.

Two months into HRT and it's time to start digging for that woman. Start to reach down deep inside; and find the woman who is in there, who is desperate to come out of the dark. Find her, validate her and affirm her with all due rights and privileges. Give her a name for a start. Once you start this process, you'll find something awe inspiring, emerge. She will show you things you never imagined, and soon enough she will shine, and so will you.

Transition is more than pills and potions, dress and looks, makeup and bangles. Real transition starts with finding the woman you are destined to be, and nurture her. Forget the 'guy' stuff. You can live presenting as a 'guy', and be a complete woman on the inside, where it matters.

This may sound all Greek to you at the minute. There is a labyrinth of pathways to find her. You're just going to have to concentrate on looking for her, and she'll come. Stop looking on the outside, and start looking on the inside.

Keep in touch and let us know how you are coping
Be safe, well and happy
Lotsa huggs
Catherine

Quote from: Annah on February 19, 2012, 12:10:09 AM
gotta give it much longer than 2 months. Also, are you on a t blocker?

Yes... Thank God.  Spiro, 100 mg.

[
Oh I do I do honey... its Juliana and yes I talk to her all the time.

I can feel her inside of me ALL THE TIME.  It's just that I look in the mirror that that image never affirms what I feel in my heart and in my soul so I see a man and I think, Well I have to be a man so I fall back into that trap... you must know that trap... it always destroys us.

Thank u so much Catherine xxxooo

Quote from: Beverley on February 19, 2012, 01:59:52 AM
Give it a year on oestrogen. If you are worried about your hair order generic minoxidil (5% strength) and run it on the thinning hair and teh areas where the hair has stopped growing. You might seem to have extra hair fall out but this is usually new hair growth pushing older hair out. After about 6 months you should see thickening of the hair.

Minoxidil is cheap because it is out of patent.

Beverley

Im on Rogaine ... Dr. Leonard from Cranston, RI told me six months on the Rogaine and then he's going to do hair transplants on me but im like yikes god I look awful as a man.  I have very thick black hair everywhere else, and I mean EVERYWHERE ELSE, except in this area that's receding... so Im on the Mens Rogaine foam which I was a little afraid of because I thought it might have testosterone in it... and then the office said it was okay to use that but not to get any on my face which is pretty hard when you're massaging it into your scalp and it drips down, especially on a wet face....

If you are not on DHT blockers (finasteride, dutasteride, etc) I would suggest you ask about them. Rogaine claims on its packaging that it is not to be used for the frontal hairline, probably because if it DOES drip to your face, it causes the blood capillaries to swell and .. well i'm no doctor but I can't imagine that being a good thing on your face. Also, if you have a cat, be VERY careful with the stuff. Minoxidil is poisonous to them, and even a little bit can kill them.

If you are on DHT blockers, be assured that you may experience a phase where you're shedding more early on. This is because the drug tends to send 10% of the hair into the telogen stage (the stage where its falling out). But be assured, it will come back. My experience is that hair shedding STOPPED around the 3rd or 4th month, however results with that may vary. Male pattern baldness is caused by a sensitivity of the follicle to DHT, which is genetic.

You may also be experiencing clogged pores/ follicles (clogged by environmental factors, not necessarily DHT). This decreases scalp health, and can lead to hair thinning / minor hair loss. Get a really good deep clarifying shampoo.  You may be surprised by the results.

Also, be aware. If your estradiol levels are TOO high, as they come down you may experience a sort of "post partum" hair loss. I doubt this is happening to you since you're only on your 2nd month, but it's something to think about if your levels get too high in the future, and your doctor adjusts your dosage. This is happening to me, you should see the hair coming out from ALL over the head on my scalp.. my nape area seems to be the worst.

Hi Juliana,

So pleased you are making headway. Could I please ask you to stop looking in the mirror until Juliana has a firmer hold of your identity?

I've never been in the "see the man in the mirror" phase, as I have always strongly identified as a woman.

In order to help Juliana ascend to her rightful place, we need to break down a lot of bad habits you have created, regarding your image.  If you are not 'out' yet, in your private times, can you paint your finger and toe nails; and start wearing jewellery you can see. e.g. Bangles, rings, beads. At work and elsewhere, just paint your nails with a clear gloss. Start underdressing, if you haven't already. These habits and behaviours will hopefully start to diminish the 'guy' image and allow Juliana to come through. Just keep away from the mirror AT ALL COSTS. Forget what you look like externally, we'll work on that later, let the HRT do its job first. Lets work on the inside and your mental image. Once that's in better shape we'll have a look at the rest.

Also, have mail, electronic or otherwise, sent to Juliana. Create store accounts in her name. Change your name here from sysm29 to Juliana. (Done in your profile). From what I sense, the 'guy' mode you have created is going to take a lot of hard work to break down, because from a few things you've said, that attitude is heavily disenfranchising Juliana; and she is being tarred with the same brush.

In all sincerity, you are only 26 years of age. There is plenty of time for us to knock you into shape. But you are the one that has to change. Take the pressure off yourself. This is not a test of performance. This is an art of feminisation.

Let me know your thoughts. In the meantime, be safe, well and happy
Lotsa huggs
Catherine

I was going to make a post but Sarah has gotten in before me with better advice than I was going to give..

My 'man in the mirror' phase stopped completely after about 6 months on hormones, and always had been a sometimes thing, depending on my mood.. Feeling good about myself, no man.. Feeling bad, I saw the man.. I stopped looking in the mirror when I wasn't feeling good..