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ABSTRACT
Facial changes associated with the administration of exogenous testosterone and bilateral oophorectomy in female-to-male (FtM) transsexual people (trans men; trans males) has not been previously documented. This study aimed to describe the qualitative and quantitative transformation from a female to a male facial appearance and to identify predictable patterns of change. Twenty-five trans men were studied using morphological and morphometrical analysis of pre-transition 2-D images and post-transition 3-D scan models. The mean subject age was 39 years and all subjects had been taking testosterone for at least 3 years, with a mean duration of therapy of 8.6 years. While 32% of subjects were classified by a majority of observers as male appearing in pre-transition photographs, this rose to 95.5% in post-transition images. Eighty-six percent of subjects demonstrated an increase in male classification after transition. Morphometrically, 44% of subjects became wider in the face overall and 100% of subjects measured demonstrated a narrower nose after transition. Testosterone virilizes adult female faces and will cause widening of the face. The most consistent facial change was the production of a narrower nasal width at the alae, which may be a result of fat re-deposition not related to ageing effects or body mass index (BMI).
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to acknowledge Dr. Pietà Schofield for her work on data processing and visualization; Dr. Katrien Wierckx and Professor Guy T'Sjoen for their generous assistance in recruiting and facilitating the collection of data from Belgian trans men; and the trans men of this study who were gracious enough to allow me into their lives and to collect their faces. Your contribution is significant.