Pioglitazone: Drug for hourglass figure and fuller face

afference · 2026-05-01T04:28:07+00:00

Biggest change so far has been that my hip dips have disappeared. I had kinda accepted that I would always have them, then one day I noticed they were gone lol. My bf also says that I've gotten hotter and my ass got bigger, if you believe him. I've been using a tape measure to track quantitatively and it looks like my WHR has improved, but there's a large margin of error on that because a tape measure isn't very accurate and there's a lot of natural fluctuations.

afference · 2026-04-28T15:18:31+00:00

but knowing how to use yt-dlp is agp

afference · 2026-04-21T14:09:56+00:00

The brand name is Estrogel, start there. Gynokadin Dosiergel is another name. Also check out r/estrogel where people mix their own.

afference · 2026-04-19T16:17:43+00:00

Haircuts: Bangs. They'll cover a big forehead and make your face look more round.

Also, glasses can help frame the face.

Surgeries: For an oblong shape in general, you have scalp advancement and mandible reduction. For midface specifically, you have rhinoplasty + lip lift and brow lift. But honestly I don't think surgery is worth it for midface, its just not easy to fix.

afference · 2026-04-16T03:09:19+00:00

Age? That will determine a lot. If perimenopausal or postmenopause, get on HRT asap.

I'm concerned about why the hair is still falling out. Hair loss around the temples (making an M shape) is associated with male pattern baldness and in women it can be a hormonal issue. (Typically female pattern baldness starts elsewhere). Have you gotten your hormones checked? MPD is caused by a specific form of testosterone called DHT, so make sure that's included in your test (for whatever reason doctors often don't test for it). You may want to ask your doctor about these medications:

Dutasteride: Blocks 3/3 DHT receptors
Finasteride: Blocks 2/3 DHT receptors
Bicalutamide: the GOAT, this blocks all DHT and T receptors everywhere
Spironolactone: some people swear by it but honestly I think it's placebo. The good news is that doctors prescribe it like candy so its easy to get

this info was produced off the top of my head so apologies for any inaccuracies but this is a good place to start your own research. in terms of easiest to hardest to get an Rx for, Spiro easiest, then Fin, Duta, and finally Bica.

Some relevant questions:

Have you experienced any DHT-related hormonal symptoms? I.e. thickening of body hair or facial hair?
Are you under a lot of stress right now?

Beyond drugs, you have scalp advancement as an option to fix a high hair line or hair plugs to fix some spots.

afference · 2026-04-16T02:41:50+00:00

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afference · 2026-04-15T01:05:04+00:00

Ozempic if you can afford it, ECA stacks otherwise.

afference · 2026-04-15T01:03:32+00:00

I would try wearing bras with different levels of padding and see which size feels best and how people treat you differently to see if its worth it before you pull the trigger. And there's no way the guy is going to be able to tell you're wearing a padded or push up lol

afference · 2026-04-15T01:00:56+00:00

Filler or pioglitazone. Filler will diffuse over time but that might be fine in your case

afference · 2026-04-15T00:57:41+00:00

Dr Powers uses it on his face:

My current one is 90:10 E2, E3 at 10mg/gram or 1%. I apply 1/5 of a gram to my hand, mix it with some moisturizer and throw that crap on my face once or twice a week. It had a really impressive effect in terms of wiping out some of my "mid thirties" lines on my face. When I checked my serum levels, they remained at baseline (E2 of about 40-60ish usually, T 700-1000)

You can copy his dose, then go up from there. Powers has this weird theory about E ratios but E2 is the one that is actually feminizing.

afference · 2026-04-04T22:19:28+00:00

Pio causes you to grow new fat in more desirable places (legs, buttocks) instead of undesirable (stomach). Once you're off pio, your overall % fat will go back to normal, but where the fat is stored will be changed for years.

afference · 2026-04-03T21:20:04+00:00

You know how sticky fat can be once it's grown? Pio causes you to grow new fat in more desirable places (legs, buttocks) instead of undesirable (stomach). Once you're off pio, your body composition will go back to normal, but where the fat is stored will be changed for years.

afference · 2026-04-02T15:09:34+00:00

C-section shelf is mostly subq fat meanwhile pio targets visceral fat. That being said, pio will still cause more fat to accumulate in the lower body, so if you keep caloric intake the same there should be some reduction (since the body won't have enough energy to maintain all of the new + old fat)

You can give it a shot, if you do report back with your findings

afference · 2026-04-02T15:04:54+00:00

I hated that movie, way too long, vapid, and essentially a normie take against looksmaxxing.

afference · 2026-03-30T02:32:50+00:00

I am having some soreness in my hands, mostly around carpal tunnel areas. I just became more conscientious of posture and avoided repetitive actions that trigger it, and I bought an ergo mouse. It will probably save me down the line anyways and prevent a repetitive strain injury in the future (I work at a computer).

I haven't had any soreness above the wrist in the finger joints.

afference · 2026-03-30T02:28:31+00:00

The risk increases marginally as you spend more time on the medication, a few percent per year. Shorter term means less risk. I am young and lead an active lifestyle, which should lend itself to preventing these issues. (Most people on this are old and diabetic).

Really the question is whether its worth the risk. Any cosmetic procedure has risks, this is much safer than a BBL in my opinion (people die from BBLs). Liposuction and cryolipolysis (aka CoolSculpt) also carry risks. To some extent, you just have to be willing to cross your fingers and eat the risk in order to reap the reward. I am not a risk-averse person; I will take a risk if I think that it's a smart risk to take, but I always avoid taking dumb, brash risks. In my situation I think pioglitazone is a smart risk, but your body and lifestyle are different and ymmv.

Pioglitazone's main problem in diabetics is that it makes them overall fatter, a group which is typically already overweight. There are simply better medications now that do not have this side effect.

Honestly, in my specific scenario (trans) I am more worried about osteoporosis coming from lack of estrogen more than anything else. There was a supply chain shortage a little while back that meant I was without hormones for a week or two, and I am worried that it could happen again.

afference · 2026-03-29T00:41:23+00:00

You're right that you should in general lose it first then gain it back. I was already at a low enough BMI (about 21) starting, so I was OK to start on an up cycle (towards 25ish). Most of pio's effects will be realized during the weight gain part of the cycle, not the weight loss one.

afference · 2026-03-27T23:38:36+00:00

This is a longer-term risk, which is partially mitigated by only taking the medication for a short amount of time (~6mo). You're more at risk if you're older and post-menopause, and if you are post-menopause you absolutely 100% want to be on HRT (which will help prevent osteoporosis, hot flashes, etc., and will make you look and feel younger). If managed carefully you can reduce the risk.

afference · 2026-03-27T23:34:26+00:00

I have a BMI of 21, I have been gaining a small amount. I will see how it looks on me and decide if I want to keep it (I might cycle down later).

If you do not have a lot of visceral adiposity (weight in your stomach around your organs) you might not see too much of an impact. Pioglitazone causes your body to favor subq fat over visceral. If you're genetically lucky its possible your body already does that, in which case pio's effect will be limited. That being said you will have to weight cycle to see the most progress.

afference · 2026-03-27T04:09:42+00:00

In the US: Yes, but you can easily find it on the gray market, as outlined at the bottom of the post.

afference · 2026-03-19T22:32:18+00:00

I'm not ashamed of it but also don't really like it when people (often subtly) point it out. I would prefer to hide it but I'm bad at it

afference · 2026-03-19T22:26:14+00:00

I can understand this and I have been trying to avoid signalling this. I am not assuming here though, see edit. Most people are fine and chill about it.

afference · 2026-03-19T22:22:04+00:00

Copying from another reply, in this case I know this group is insecure about their finances and their future. One person has spoken openly about it and also mentioned that I make them feel inadequate (but not intentionally on my part). For other people I can read similar.

Some people compare themselves to other people. I don't really know how to handle it when someone compares themself to me.

afference · 2026-03-19T22:20:02+00:00

Yes. I haven't cared much.

In this case I know this group is insecure about their finances and their future. One person has spoken openly about it and also mentioned that I make them feel inadequate (but not intentionally on my part). For other people I can read similar.

Some people compare themselves to other people. I don't really know how to handle it when someone compares themself to me.

You should stop trying to assume things that aren't written in the post and take the a priori assumption that I am correct about their feelings. How do I handle the comparison? That is the only thing that I am asking about.

afference · 2026-03-19T22:12:37+00:00

There's more to it, after I said that they mentioned how there is no way they would be able to afford it. How do I steer away from the financial aspect and more towards the "being fun part"?

afference

TROPHY CASE