The earlier you can catch your hair loss, the more successful you’ll typically be at treating it and preventing it from getting worse. The further you are down the scale, the more your hair loss has likely progressed. If you’re worried about hair loss, you can use the Norwood scale to determine how severe your hair loss is. The Norwood scale covers all of the major stages of hair loss, from a hairline that’s completely unaffected to total hair loss that affects the entire scalp. Shop finasteride start consultation The Norwood Balding Scale Some types may be accompanied by additional information, such as hair loss on the vertex of the scalp. We'll go into each of the seven Norwood Scale types below, but in the meantime: How Does the Norwood Scale Work?Īs we mentioned above, the Norwood Scale is made up of seven numbered types. What Does Male Hair Loss Look like per the Norwood Scale?ĭoes the Norwood Scale sound a little confusing? We put together a visual guide to help you understand what to look for when you look in the mirror. The Norwood scale is commonly used by healthcare professionals that specialize in diagnosing and treating hair loss in men.Īlthough it’s not perfect (we’ll cover its weaknesses a little further down the page), it provides a useful system for classifying and measuring the extent of a man’s hair loss. This is classed as Type 3 vertex hair loss using the Norwood Scale. Other men develop a receding hairline accompanied by a small bald patch on the scalp. This is known as Type 2 hair loss on the Norwood Scale, or a mature or adult hairline.

Instead, the extent of hair loss caused by male pattern baldness follows a specific pattern that begins in a specific area, according to an article published in the journal Cutaneous and Aesthetic Surgery.įor example, many men notice the first signs of hair loss when their hairline begins to recede around the temples. Men affected by hair loss typically don’t lose healthy hair evenly from across their entire scalp. The Norwood Scale (sometimes called the Hamilton-Norwood Scale) is a seven-type scale that’s used to measure and categorize the different stages of male pattern baldness.

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