I remember reading some time ago that persons who have orchiectomies develop a layer of fatty tissue below the skin, and I was reminded of that in Kristoff's mention of it in his castration primer. Of course, it's well known that the development of a similar fat layer in women is one of the salient physical differences between men and women, and it is one of the factors which make the female body smoother-looking than the male body.

So, is the layer of fatty tissue in eunuchs essentially the same as the similar layer in women, and is it distributed in the same way as in women? I would presume that the tissue is not the same thickness everywhere either in eunuchs or in women. And in that regard, how thick is the fatty layer? My impression is that the softness induced by this tissue layer is responsible for the softer and more regular facial features of women in comparison with men--but the pictures I have seen of eunuchs who had their orchiectomies after puberty, don't seem to show the same facial softness that is characteristic of women. So, does the fatty tissue layer develop to a more significant degree in prepubertal eunuchs than in those who have their surgeries later? Also, is a similar effect produced in those who use testosterone-reducing drugs over a long period of time? Beyond effects on appearance, would a fatty layer of this type have any effect on sensitivity to heat and cold--although, as indicated on another thread, women, who have this layer, tend to be more sensitive to cold than most men.

I have read that, in antiquity, there were some societies in which eunuchs were considered to be more physically attractive than men, and perhaps the smoother physical appearance effected by the layer of fatty tissue was one reason for that.