hard, cracked, yet greasy leather covered in spikes

[cosmolinguist]

I'm just coming up to a year on T (a fact I'm only certain of because it's time to renew the year-long prescription pre-payment certificate that I got not long after I started! there's the "HRT date in bio" types and then right at the other end of the bell curve there's me, heh).

And it has come to my attention that there's plenty of joy shared by exogenous-estrogen folks on the social media where I hang out and far fewer exogenous-testosterone types sharing what's good about our hormones for us.

I think there are a lot of reasons for there being fewer of us and less being shared (I've had my own reasons for not talking about every little thing I notice every time I appreciate it). But it ends up meaning that what people hear about testosterone gives an impression leaving us wondering (as a friend put it) "if it's going to turn my skin into hard, cracked, yet greasy leather covered in spikes."

My friend goes on to say "The terfy rhetoric of T being the "bad hormone" that makes you angry and ugly and E being the "good hormone" is not helping. There is not actually a lot of real info out there to counteract that."

I'm always here to refute TERFs.

And to maybe help my future exogenous-testosterone buddies, and celebrate with those alongside me in this.

I'm only one person, every body is different etc., but T has had almost no downside for me so talking about what's good about it is really easy for me to do!

So after a bit less than a year of exogenous testosterone, here's some positives for me:

• the acne has not been bad at all! I have always had acne, it wasn't "teenage acne" because it never went away, so what I mean is the last year hasn't been noticeably worse than previous ones.

• plus most of the acne on my chin and jawline seems to have left a new hair in its wake, and I love my facial hair so it feels worth it ;)

• my skin does feel soft because it's fuzzy! I am growing soft little hairs on my belly and my shoulders and more on my legs and I love feeling them. I stroke my fuzzy jaw all the time as a nice stim.

• I don't know if my voice sounds that different but, more importantly to me, it feels different. It resonates more in my body. This makes me happy every time I notice it.

• My muscles are more responsive to exercise and I catch myself finding physical tasks easier than I expect them to be.

• [genital related thing]

Comments

[sfred]

<3

[otter]

:)

[radiantfracture]

[genital related thing]

LOL

I love T. I went on because I had to in order to get top surgery, and then I was like THIS IS THE BEST.

(some people fought that rule at the time, but I am no fighter, on or off the juice)

[barakta]

Happy HRT-i-versary.

Glad it is suiting you so well and increasing your happiness.

As I said to a trans woman friend recovering from bottom surgery who is delighted even while still in medium recovery: "every trans person should be able to body hack as needed".

TERFs can fuck off, cos they always start on mutilation and scarring and double-down when I point out some cis folk like me have surgery and scars too and it's not a bad thing or shameful and they can their their shit and fuck the fuck off.

[rmc28]

I'm so happy that you're happy!

[mst3kforall]

That is awesome!

[caged_dragon]

That's a great stim! Happy for you :)