u/-Antinomy-

I'm 32. My hair has been thinning overall and beginning to bald on the top for the past three years, with acceleration the past year. It's freaking me out. I will start estrogen injection monotherapy around August.

With estrogen alone, what are the chances I reverse thinning and slight balding to the point it's at least hard to notice? This is important to me and I'm happy to use oral Minoxidil also, but I understand once I start taking it I have to continue for the rest of my life basically. So I want to make sure it's actually necessary before committing.

I tried Finasteride years ago, but it gave me terrifying anhedonia/ depression. I'm afraid of it. My doctor suggested I take it with HRT, but I'm confused 1. if there's any reason to believe my experience with it would be different when combined with HRT, and 2. if it would make any difference at all considering it's blocking a piece of T, and my T will be low.

If anyone can share any experiences, thoughts, or science you have my profound thanks. This is causing a lot of anxiety I can't really handle right now. I've poked around Reddit but surprised to find there's not much addressing these specific questions.

For more than half a decade in the background of my regularly scheduled reporting I have casually asked hundreds of scammers who try and scam me how their scams work, without any luck. I've done something similar with all manner of anonymous online shenanigans from likely paid reviewers to planted marketing campaigns.

This is basically a hobby, I've never had high hopes. But today I reflexively went to reach out to the author of a grifty medium post advertising a self help book and realized I was wasting my time. I need to get better at this, change my whole perspective on how to report this kind of thing, or give it up.

How do I get someone online to talk to me who has every reason not to? What are some good opening lines? I've tried being direct, I've tried opening with by being vague, I've appealed to ego... The closest I get is just engaging with the scam for as long as possible, but every time the conversation still ends when I pop the question.

If we agree all opening lines will fail, how can I challenge the premise? Do I need to find some way to track down alternative contract information beginning with just a social media profile?

I'm working with the premise that if I could just convince the right person I am not a threat, the usual novelty and flattery of talking to a reporter will do the rest of the work for me.