How many hair grafts do I need to have a decent looking hair? (Photo)

Hello,at your young age you have to be very careful making decisions regarding hair restoration. First of all future is unpredictable and it is very hard to determine how fast will you loose your hair. You still have a lot of hair left and need to preserve it - consider Propecia and other noninvasive remedies. As for the transplant I would stronlgy advise FUE method - this at least will leave you without ugly long scar in case you want to shorten/shave your hair. Optimal method now for you would be ARTAS robotic system with the robotic site making - it preserves existing hair much better than manual site making . As for the number of grafts to get reasonable result I would recommend 3000 follicular units

"Decent" looking hair is subjective. If you want a consultation and recommendation see a doctor for a proper exam.  You need to understand you may continue to lose your existing hair as you age and that hair transplant surgery will never give you the fullness like Dermmatch or Toppik.

You seem to have genetic male pattern hair loss and there is miniaturization of your hair in the front and misscalp areas.  You are a good candidate for hair restoration, each doctor uses different sizes of grafts therefore the number of grafts may be a little different from doctor to doctor.  Since male patten hair loss is progressive, You need to contact a hair restoration specialist with experience who will not only treat  for the lost hair but also give recommendation to slow down the loss of your native hair.  

The way I quantify hair graft needs is based on area.  In an area devoid of any hair,  I need 350 grafts per square inch.  In an area with some hair and scalp is easily seen,  I need 300 grafts per square inch. In an area with hair and scalp is not easily seen, I need 250 grafts per square inch.  A square inch is slightly larger than a postage stamp.  You can measure it yourself.  See how many postage stamps fit on the area you want thickened.  Based on the photos,  I feel you need 250 grafts per square inch.  It looks like 12 square inches roughly. Therefore I would estimate your need as 3000 grafts. 

You need to be assessed with a one on one consultation with a doctor to answer your questions. Maybe the drug finasteride alone might handle your problem but it would take a year to find out. The presence of DUPA requires a microscopic examination of your donor area. I wrote the original article on DUPA and define the term in the medical literature.