Jayman,
Yep, I used minoxidil in the frontal zone for two months post-op and no question it helped to get some single hairs jumped started. I think I would have gone a bit longer applying it in the front except that I started growing hair on my upper cheecks and my eye brow hair got alot more coarse and started growing in length. Right now I am applying it strictly in the bridge and crown. The new Rogaine foam product is pricey but nice to use and no propolene glycol.
Listen, I just looked at your pic with the diffused thinning. It's really not that bad yet. Are you wearing some gel? If you are, it's going to show more scalp.
Here's the tough choice for you. At 22, you're way too young for a hair transplant, IMO. However, if you do wait it out, the progressive nature of the diffused thinning pattern menas you will gradually lose hair shaft diameter over time. If you're on finasteride, it will slow it down, but it won't stop it.
In my overall experience, the weaker the natural hair becomes, the more volatile it is to shock. The more diffused it becomes, the more chance for permanent shockloss.
So the question then becomes, "Do I start replacing what I know I am destined to lose in smaller procedures now, OR do I wait it out until my natural hair becomes so diffused until I am getting little to no visual coverage?
Even if you choose to start replacing in smaller sessions, you still have a ways to go before you should be getting in the chair because of the amount of existing hair you have right now. I am not you so that's easy for me to say I know, but that's just my own opinion. STAY ON THE MEDS.