Effects of Sex Steroid Deprivation and Administration on Hair Growth and Skin Sebum Production in Transsexual Males and Females
TLDR Hormone treatments in transsexual individuals reduce hair growth and oil production in male-to-females and increase them in female-to-males.
In a study from 2000, 21 male-to-female and 17 female-to-male transsexuals were observed to assess the effects of sex steroid deprivation and administration on hair growth and skin sebum production. The male-to-female group, treated with estrogens and antiandrogens, experienced a reduction in plasma testosterone levels, hair growth, and sebum production, but facial hair growth persisted. The decrease in hair shaft diameter was most significant after 4 months. Conversely, the female-to-male group, treated with testosterone, showed an increase in hair growth rate and sebum production, but even after 12 months, hair diameters did not match those of adult males. The study concluded that estrogen and antiandrogen treatment affects hair length and diameter at different rates, and hair growth can continue albeit more slowly in the absence of androgens, while androgen administration in females does not fully replicate male hair characteristics within a year.
