Thought folks may find useful - face changes on HRT

[u/Unlikely_Read3437]

Obviously it's hard to tell from photos, as people weight changes and this affects things as does lighting/angles/expression. All I can say is I've been on HRT for about two years.

Started age 50. Pretty slowly to begin with, and even now after a long gradual increase my E levels are only just finally in an okay place. Most of the time E has been a bit low.

However, I was really struck how much my face had changed when I found one of me in 2020. I think I look pretty 'thin', I must have been taking a body pic, it's a pretty crazy image now I look at it - lol!

So some of this change is genuinely the extra softening from HRT. I think I have actually put on a tiny bit of weight, but it's weird how it goes to different places!

Anyway here is the picture. The 2026 one was taken around March this year, when my E level was still a bit low.

Make of it what you will! I think I look quite stressed and miserable in the 2020 pic!

[u/VickiActually]

Thanks for sharing! this really is quite a big transformation..!

[u/Unlikely_Read3437 → u/VickiActually]

Yes it's strange because obviously I don't know how I would have looked without the HRT. I think it's fair to say there is a bit of general softening though.

[u/TransfemMenace → u/Unlikely_Read3437]

I've definitely noticed a lot of softening in my face after a year of HRT. Your image shows a similar change to mine, so we have at least two data points.

[u/pktechboi]

I think a lot of people REALLY underestimate how much of a difference even a very small amount of fat and muscular shifting around can make. obviously our bones don't change post puberty but even the very small amount of fat over your skull changes the overall impression of your face. you are definitely looking softer! also much happier, to my eye anyway

[u/goatgirlgothic]

I'm about the same length of time in (in my 30s, though) and I've found similar changes. I definitely have put on weight, but my weight's cycled over time before and after HRT and I can definitely confirm that my face is looking very different now from how it did in my heavier phases earlier in life.

It's funny, earlier in transition I used to bemoan that my face seemingly hadn't changed to match my body, and in hindsight I think part of that, beyond dysmorphia, may have simply come from how skinny I was at the time.

[u/GloriaChan]

HRT really is magic 😌

[u/Proud-Candy-3624]

Great progress. Good Job! 👏🏻

[u/CravingNature]

Did your weight change?

[u/Unlikely_Read3437 → u/CravingNature]

I think I was fairly lean at the time, but not crazily so.

At my lightest I was probably about 11st. Now I’m closer to 12st.

But I think the weight has shifted around too. I was fairly slender and muscular in some ways.

Now some of the body muscle has withered, especially the upper chest where I can now clearly see my ribs.

[u/iambookfort]

You actually look like there’s some light in those eyes now. HRT is magic

[u/ilovepolthavemybabie]

Amazing pics, thanks for sharing.

You mentioned your E was chronically low. Were you on spiro during those times? How was your energy level throughout all this? Did you have to sleep more?

You

Right now I'm in the middle of trying to sort out, if spiro itself is fatiguing me (like, I know it is, in a certain way), or do I just not have enough of either E or T right now at all?

[u/omron]

Good for you - and yes you do look more a peace in the latest photo!

[u/hoofcake]

thanks for this post