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    • peanutbuttercupola [she/her]@hexbear.net
      English
      7·
      4 months ago

      The 28 day expiration thing is veeery cautious. Depending on the contents of the vial it can last a great deal longer.

      You are unlikely to find hormonal implants through unofficial channels. For T in particular, it’s mostly going to be injectable vials.

    • Zorothamya [she/her]@hexbear.netEnglish
      6·
      4 months ago

      What vial is stating a 28 day expiration date? If it contains an adequate amount of benzyl alcohol, doesn’t show signs of contamination or coring, and the oil isn’t too yellowish, the vial should still be good. They generally last on the order of years.

        • Zorothamya [she/her]@hexbear.netEnglish
          7·
          4 months ago

          could sometimes leave tiny plastic bits from the seal

          That’s called coring. If that happens, say your farewells to the vial. It can however easily be avoided if you use thin needles (23+ gauge (higher number is thinner), I use 30 gauge and have no problem drawing MCT oil with it even when the vial contains no benzyl benzoate, more viscous oils however will have a harder time) and always draw from a different spot (or random spot if your needle is so thin like mine, where you can’t even see where you poked the rubber in the past). (some people advise doing a 45º-switch-to-90º pucture technique, but I find it totally unnecessary if you are using thin needles and is just another thing that can go wrong, and I advise just doing 90º punctures). People from countries that offer injections for HRT (such as the US), I’ve often seen them being recommended 18gauge needles. Do NOT use 18 gauge needles for drawing, they are way too thick and unnecessarily raise the risk of coring.