Transgender cosmetic surgery will leave you with the body you’ve always wanted. However, the same cannot be said about facial hair. Growing facial hair takes time, patience and even a little bit of genetics. To ensure you’re doing what you can to encourage that beard to come in, here are 10 tips for growing facial hair:
- Only take T your doctor prescribed: testosterone (T) or HRT (hormone replacement therapy) should be monitored by a doctor. Testosterone does help with facial hair growth by creating a second puberty, but only take T that your doctor has prescribed. Do not exceed the dosage because your body will convert the excess T into estrogen.
- Trim regularly: Generally, chin hair grows more quickly than cheek hair. By trimming regularly you will get a more even growth.
- Trim before you shower: Wet hair weighs more and can lead you to cut off more than you want.
- Shaving doesn’t make hair grow faster: This is a myth, so always trim instead of shaving. Only shave once you have a full beard and decide to get rid of it.
- Condition, condition, condition: When you’re in the shower, rub some conditioner on your facial hair, let it sit for a few minutes. Then, rinse it out for a smoother, fuller beard.
- Find a beard oil and use it: Once your hair starts growing in, a beard oil can moisturize the area so your hair doesn’t get coarse and itchy.
- Don’t get discouraged if hair grows in other places first: You may notice chest hairs sprouting before your facial hair starts to come in. Do not get discouraged. This doesn’t mean that you’ll only be able to grow hair on your chest and not your face. Patience is key.
- Find your look: After transgender cosmetic surgery, find a look that you love. If you have more hair on your chin than cheeks, maybe a goatee will suit you better. If you notice that your sideburns are growing in thicker than your mustache, maybe mutton chops will look great on you. Work with what you have and you’ll be able to find a look you love.
- Examine your genetics: Look at the men on both sides of your family. This will help you see what kind of facial hair growth is possible. If your father, grandfathers and uncles have full beards, it’s safe to say that you will too.
- Transplants are available: If all else fails, there are hair transplants available. You will have to wait until at least a year after your cosmetic surgery for this procedure to ensure that your body can handle it.
There’s no guarantee that you’ll grow a thick luxurious beard after transgender cosmetic surgery, but if you follow the aforementioned tips, you’ll be on the right track.