#topical testosterone

[genderqueerdykes]

Is it true that T gel is not as effective as shots are and that you cannot truly transition if you get the gel? Asking as a transmasc whos deathly afraid of needles

hello there!

fortunately, nope, that's not true! that's misinformation that gets spread around like crazy. every single person on this earth will respond differently to medications- just because one person did not receive the benefits they wanted from topical hormone gels (estrogen or testosterone) does not mean everyone else will have the same reaction!

there are folks who will get nothing out of it at all due to certain health conditions, genetics, or other factors, but that does not make the medication wholesale ineffective. there are also people who do not respond well to or process injectable testosterone- every person reacts to medications differently. it's best to take it on a case-by-case basis, as some won't get anything, but some will see the full spectrum of effects. it just depends on your body chemistry and how you personally react to medications

there are many trans people who transition with T gel only! you can absolutely fully medically transition with T gel. you are able to adjust your dose as needed, so you can tailor it to your needs just like injectable T. i took topical T for a few years and it still gave me all the benefits of injectable! including stopping my periods

i think some people struggle with T gel because they do not follow the instructions properly. i've actually met a few transmascs who shower their T gel off RIGHT after they've put it on, thinking the medication absorbs immediately. it is recommended to not shower or swim for several hours (usually around the 4 - 5 hour mark) to make sure all of the medication absorbs. if you do this and are not showing results from your gel, this is why. please don't immediately shower your T gel off! a lot of people also apply their gel to the wrong areas of the body: if you start topical T, your specific formulation will come with a guide showing you where to apply it. applying it in other areas may not work as well

it's a completely viable option, especially for people with shaky hands, needle trauma, or are squeamish. i hope that helps! topical T is not "weaker" than injectable- your skin is actually one of the areas of your body that has the some of the highest bioavailability when it comes to medications, meaning that your skin is excellent at absorbing topical medications and getting as much as possible out of them. as long as you do not have a condition that makes it difficult for your skin to absorb medications, its should affect you just as much as injectable would.

this is not a guarantee, as everyone is affected by medications differently. you may not have a condition that prevents you from absorbing medication through the skin and still struggle. everyone reacts differently- genetics, body chemistry, there are a lot of factors that can change how a person will react. it will depend greatly on who you are as a person.

usually there's not really a way to tell if it will work for someone until they try, so your mileage will vary, but the topical T is not on the whole weaker, or ineffective. it's important to talk about how it doesn't affect some people, but it's also important to talk about how it works great for many. like any medication, experiences with it will vary greatly from person to person and that's not a reflection that the medication is bad or ineffective, that's just normal for medication.

hope that helps!

[just-another-depressed-frog]

screw the billionaires who say that they're "self-made men". Like... No??? Trans men are self-made men, you're just rich.

[sevens-evan]

diy hrt is obviously a net positive for the world and i think it's fine to promote information about it but it is crazy how a) a lot of the people who do promote it have an insane superiority complex about how much better and braver they are than people who go through a medical institution and b) how many of them actually know nothing about it. saw a diy person on here the other day talking abt how finasteride "is well known to literally only affect hair loss and not do anything else" and it's like. it's true that finasteride use in trans men is not studied and anecdotal reports vary wildly but if you know Literally Anything, Even A Single Thing about what finasteride actually does in the body and what dht does as a hormone you would know that's a stupid thing to say. which leaves one to conclude that that person Thought they knew what they were talking about without doing even a single second of googling. not good!

[cyber-therian]

the 16th of May ill be 1 year on testosterone :]]]

[okcoolthanks]

I know it’s a they day but damn I wish I was just a dude with rlly shitty facial hair that he cuts with kitchen scissors cause it feels bad when it’s too long and has stupid hair cause he also cuts it with kitchen scissors (scissors in the kitchen he doesn’t actually use them for kitchen things) and has a lame ass clothing style because he shops exclusively at goodwill with dark under eye bags cause he sucks and forgets to sleep

[uncanny-tranny]

how old were you when you started testosterone? i want to start before i’m 18 so i don’t have to deal with that while applying to/starting college. i want to have it all figured out by the time i leave home. i thought 16 would be a good age because i also want to start while i’m in high school so i can catch up to the other boys and pass better. but my mom has been reading studies and she says it interrupts brain development and doesn’t want me starting hormones until i’m at least 18. but i don’t know if i can make it that long and i really don’t want to have to wait.

I started when I was an adult since it can be simpler, so I don't know on that end if it will be easy for you.

However, it is odd to me to say it will interrupt brain development as though hormones can stop your brain's development. Your brain will still develop, and indeed, it will continue to do so even after you are over eighteen. I won't contest that hormones might alter your brain in the way it responds to stimuli, but it won't be stunted. Like... you've already got testosterone in your body, and what HRT does it raise those levels to what is more "typical" as if you were a cisgender, perisex (i.e., not intersex) man.

Here's a 2020 metastudy I found about this if you want to read on your own, which includes studies done on those seeking both testosterone and estrogen treatment.

Much of these discussions are hindered by small sample sizes. However, with data, it seems as though hormone treatment isn't drastically reducing cognitive abilities, as much as I've seen people act as though it does. Your brain will continue to develop well after any puberty because that's what brains do. Hormones can surely influence your brain, but it is not like it will kill it.

[mephist0phallus]

Truly though. It would be ridiculous to say “ummm do you really need that topical nitroglycerin? What if your wife touches you while it’s wet and the resulting hypotensive episode causes her to fall? We need to acknowledge the dangerous potential underneath relieving your angina.” I’m sure there are people out there who have said this exact thing; there are people saying this about every medicine and every condition. It’s still not right. I am referring to a real case, so it’s not a straw man risk. Medicine acts like medicine. This doesn’t change the fact that people need it. If you care more about using hypotheticals to deny access to medicine than you do about making sure people can use it safely, you need to rethink your priorities.

TLDR; shut up forever and ever about topical testosterone.

[bramblequeer]

Being trans and not liking change/needing to adapt to change slowly and with knowing exactly what’ll happen is. Fun.

[chirsu]

Testosterone taken...

[genderqueerdykes]

This might be a silly question but is tgel supposed to be rubbed in when applied or was I just supposed to just swipe it on? I recently swapped to gel after struggling with injections for months so today was my first shot and was fearful that I might have goofed up (even more so given my last injection was on the 31st...)

hello good question!

it's meant to be rubbed into the skin! you'll want to massage it into the skin until its no longer wet feeling, if it's let to stay on the surface of the skin it will begin evaporating pretty quickly due to the gel being alcohol based and you will lose a lot of the medication. a lot of the medication will also get lost this way by being transferred on to clothing and other surfaces. it doesn't take much rubbing, just make sure that your skin doesn't still feel wet to the touch, and if you're still concerned beyond that, you can apply a layer of lotion after you have rubbed it into your skin and it no longer feels wet to help create a barrier between the medication and your clothes and other surfaces.

i think when someone starts taking HRT in a new format, it's only natural to not know what you're doing for the first few times you take it. i certainly know i was very nervous about doing my own injections at first, i even had my best friend at the time do my first one because i was nervous about messing it up. it's alright! luckily the changes from HRT are supposed to come on pretty slowly so if you do 'mess up' a few doses it's alright. as long as you make sure to rub the gel into your skin until it no longer feels wet to the touch, you should be good! if you have any more questions feel free to ask! good luck with your journey!

[sharpth1ng]

i (trans man, havent been on t very long) had a coworker who turned out to be trans but he just passed v well bc he'd been medically transitioning for decades and i only found out when he asked me abt what form of t i take and when i said injections he was like "ugh i hate needles i have to have my roommate do it for me" and i (idiot) went "oh do you take insulin or smth?" and he responded REAL QUICK w "no, testosterone, stay on topic" like. thts just how he came out to me.

anyway i think this is how billy interacts w other trans folks

“No, testosterone, stay on topic” <- 10/10

This is EXACTLY how Billy is interacting with other trans folks lmao, and it’s fucking great tbh. He doesn’t even come out he just waits for you to catch up.

Same thing with gay ppl-

Older Billy: “That’s so fucking gay.”

Gay person: “Hey that’s homopho-”

Older Billy: “What’s homophobic is the fact that my boyfriend keeps trying to fuck me with a rainbow dildo. I contain multitudes, catch up.”

(Also YO this is so smooth holy shit, I wish this was me. Thanks for sharing!)

[plesiosaurys]

they should invent a testosterone that doesn't acne

[gwyoi]

The gender debate is kind of funny when conservatives are like “um actually chromosomes are your gender checkmate liberals” when like 10 years ago house had an episode on an intersex woman who had xy chromosomes and it was just so matter of fact about it

[junglejim4322]

Anything is possible if you believe in yourself x

Squirts my T gel directly into this persons eyes, blinding them due to its high alcohol content

[itsalwaysdark]

oh and vitamins get me too how am i supposed to know what i need to be having and if rhey do anything at all. i suppose i go to a dr and see what im proficient in i am supposed to schedule a checkup they sent me a whole letter abt it and there was a number to find a pcp but im nervous about finding a doctor idk why. i just get worried about umm. well i get worried about badically everything in my life but in relation to drs i guess i just get nervous about well the transgender and also the umm. mental and also i get worried theyll be mad at me that i havent been to a dr in ages and that i dont take good care of myself i feel like drs r never understanding i remember back when i had a psych i tried to be like So if i miss a dose of these meds because im like 14 and you are not medicating my attention issues is it a Wait until the next dose situation or is it a take it as soon as i remember situation and he was like Well just dont forget to take your meds. Okay. well see i would also like not to do that. did you notice i said proficient up there insread of deficient. i didnt until just now. im editing this post to add this comment. proficient. did it make you mad that i did a word wrong. im sorry .... im just really really good at um. vitamin b. or something. i was gonna make a penis joke but it felt a bit gouche. it didnt rly i just rly love saying that things Felt a bit gouche. one of my favorite things to say rn

[sunnywalnut]

If you told 16yo me that they were in fact a trans gay guy they would be so fucking offended and kiss AT LEAST 2 girls to prove you wrong

But since I'm living the truth now it's kinda hard to deny