r/mtfhairregrowth

Hey!

I’ve been on the fence about swapping from topical to oral min. I’ve been using topical min for around 5 or so years now with varying consistency (been completely consistent as of late). I’ve had cats this entire time and they’ve had no health issues whatsoever, as I’m careful with avoiding contact with them during and after applying, as well as making sure that I’m letting it dry before bed. I’m worried that some point I may harm them with it, and I’m considering swapping to oral min to prevent this.

My main concern is unwanted body hair. I’ve always been pretty hairless: no chest/back hair, minimal facial hair, with light/fine leg and arm hair. What changes in this should I expect to see if i swap to oral? I’ve heard some people say that where you already have it will grow stronger, but you don’t develop hair where there isn’t any already.

Age 26

Current stack:

Estradiol 3mg/day for 1.5 years

Topical Minoxidil 5%/night for 4-5ish years

Oral Finasteride: .625mg every other day for 1 month

My thinning/regression isn’t heavy, I’m mainly just looking to maintain long term and have less of a “adult male” hairline.

tl;dr: how serious is body hair growth when swapping from Topical to Oral min?

Thanks! (:

I’m moving in with a cat so topical minoxidil is out. Doc wants to start me on 2.5mg. Any thoughts on that here? Will that preserve my regrowth if I stop topical? Any tips?

Not too stressed about other regrowth. Laser is working wonders on my face and I still feel inclined to shave my arms. Back might be a problem but better than the alternatives.

Hey everyone.

I've been on HRT for one month now and I've been taking finasteride 1mg daily for two months now. My hair loss doesn't seem to stop at all and I believe it even increased since starting finasteride. Is this the dreaded finasteride shed or is there something else at play?

Hi everyone 💙

I'm Nova, and I've just updated my comprehensive MtF guide with my full 1-year progress. This marks a year on HRT (May 14, 2025 - May 14, 2026) and I wanted to share what I've learned.

What's inside:

• Evidence-based research on HRT, breast development, hair regrowth, and feminization
• Real medication dosages, lab results, and adjustments over time
• Practical guides for hair removal, workouts, and body changes
• Sexual health (including the science nobody talks about)
• Medical discrimination data and advocacy strategies
• My lived experiences - what worked, what didn't, what surprised me

What's NEW in the 12-month update:

• Fat Redistribution & Weight Cycling - peer-reviewed science on how fat distribution works and how to optimize your figure
• Updated breast development photos with 1-year measurements
• Expanded hair regrowth section - more photos showing Norwood 5 recovery, plus deep dive into the studies that guided my protocol
• Orchiectomy & Scrotectomy Writeup - full recovery timeline with photos, what to expect
• Skin care & keratosis pilaris treatment - before/after photos and the routine that actually worked
• INK! - a section on my tattoos and what they mean to me
• Complete 1-year reflection - the mental, physical, and emotional journey

This guide started as the resource I desperately needed when my egg cracked. It's become something bigger - downloaded 100k+ times - please feel free to share this, I just want to help as many transfemme humans as I can.

It's completely free. No paywalls, no signup. Just information.

https://solitary-frost-c171.buildingnova.workers.dev/

The guide is designed to be referenced as needed - jump to whatever section matters to you right now. Whether you're just starting to question, deep in your medical transition, or anywhere in between.

~ Nova

Im curious about whether minoxidil hair always regresses to the baseline after stopping in the case of transfeminine HRT. Most people would say "YES" But couldn't it be possible in theory for one's DHT levels to not be low enough to permit regrowth BUT also not cause loss? (e.g. someone who had male hormone ranges for a while and no longer does)

Obviously someone with female ranges of hormones shouldn't get much hair loss at temples. But sometimes, temples regrowth for MtF doesn't always happen. When it comes to beard growth, for example, the minoxidil *can* be stopped because the beard follicles just needed a jump start but now can have plenty of DHT to keep themselves alive (i guess it's intracrine/paracrine produced)

So maybe minoxidil can be used temporarily to bring hairs "up to speed" without them all falling out again when stopping, in the case of an MtF scalp? I'm not sure.

On one hand, if it's right that minoxified beard follicles survive post-treatment by making their own DHT, afaik there are no growth factors that scalp hair follicles in an estrogenic/low-androgenic environment could intra/paracrinely induce.

On the other hand, women less often lose temple hair for SOME reason. So if the hair is brought back through minoxidil, why would it disappear again if the hormonal environment is female?

so ive been using topical 5% specifically on my temples as that's where i lost hair and ive ended up growing MORE hair everywhere else than the place i actually used it on. my entire forehead is covered in little hairs and my eyebrows are connecting and growing downwards making a weird semi circle underneath my eyes. i didn't expect it to go this far and since i have jet black hair it's becoming noticeable and frankly unsightly.

so my question is, if i were to quit using topical min until i shed the unwanted hairs and then get on oral instead, do you reckon they would all come back?

my thinking is that a spot like the *very middle of my goddamn forehead* isn't somewhere that hair naturally grows, so it only sprouted there because liquid minoxidil touched it. and maybe oral min would only target the *usual* places my body grows hair and not try to colonize new territories. but im not sure.

thoughts?