If you have ever tried to describe your hair loss to a clinic, you have probably wished for a shared vocabulary. That is exactly what the Norwood scale provides. It is the standard classification of male pattern baldness, and understanding where you sit on it tells you a great deal about what is happening now and what is likely to come.
What the scale describes
Male pattern hair loss, or androgenetic alopecia, follows a predictable route driven by genetics and the hormone DHT. The Norwood scale breaks that route into seven stages, from a full head of hair to advanced loss.
- Stage 1: no significant recession, essentially a juvenile hairline.
- Stage 2: slight recession at the temples, the classic maturing hairline.
- Stage 3: the first clearly balding stage, deeper temporal recession, sometimes with early crown thinning (Stage 3 vertex).
- Stage 4: more pronounced recession and a visible bald spot at the crown, with a band of hair still separating the two.
- Stage 5: the separating band narrows as the two areas enlarge.
- Stage 6: the band breaks down; front and crown loss merge.
- Stage 7: the most advanced stage, only a horseshoe of hair around the sides and back remains.
Why your stage matters for surgery
The Norwood stage does more than label you. It shapes strategy. A younger man at Stage 3 whose loss is still advancing needs a plan that anticipates future recession, otherwise an island of transplanted hair can end up stranded by continuing loss behind it. Someone whose loss has stabilised at Stage 5 or 6 can be planned with more certainty, though donor supply becomes the limiting factor.
Reading the trend, not just the snapshot
Because androgenetic alopecia progresses over years, a single photograph is less useful than a trend. Measuring density and miniaturisation over time, as a structured analysis at trichotest.ee does, reveals how fast you are actually losing hair. Armed with that trajectory, the surgeons at Rubenhair can design a hairline that still makes sense as you age, not just today.
Considering a hair transplant? A reliable result begins with a reliable diagnosis. Book a professional hair and scalp analysis at trichotest.ee, then plan your treatment with the specialist surgeons at Rubenhair.