S_G

Hello all, I'm a 29M looking into the possibility of a hair transplant. History: Since I was around 20, I've been slowly losing hair in a diffuse pattern all through the top of my scalp, while my hairline has essentially not changed (apart from loss in density at the same rate as the rest of my head). Imgur album link to show the extent of hair loss (all taken recently): https://imgur.com/a/I0HW5hV I've obviously arranged it to make the loss as clear as possible, but actually if I style it properly it looks alright (albeit I have to be wary of a strong gust of wind!) I went to my GP at 21, who diagnosed me with AGA, and recommend minoxidil (and frustratingly scared me off Finasteride), which I took used for 6 years without much noticeable effect. As my hair loss got worse, I did some more research and eventually got on Finasteride. I've been on Finasteride since March 2020, so a year, and have not experienced any side effects. In that time my hair has either not changed or possibly slightly improved. I'm a bit bitter about the GP who basically put me in this position due to his misinformation, but there's nothing I can do about it now now. Currently: I'm based in the UK and have so far have had one consultation with Dr Raghu Reddy, who confirmed AGA and indicated that I have a fairly strong donor area, and that I would be suitable for a hair transplant. He gave me the option between 1000-1200 grafts (for around 3500 hairs), and 2000-2500 grafts (7000 hairs). While I'm obviously not looking to throw money away, I'm lucky in that the cost is not an issue for me. My questions are: Do the above number of grafts seem reasonable, and is there any reason to go for the lower number? Is there a special requirement for transplanting into areas of diffuse loss? Are there any other surgeons I should be looking to meet with? (I would be happy to travel to Europe for a HT) Or does the fact that my hairline is intact mean I can be a bit less worried about a surgeons artistic ability/skill? Is there anything else I should be aware of? Thanks in advance.