The Norwood Scale: Understanding Your Hair Loss Pattern

The Norwood scale (also called the Norwood-Hamilton scale) is the standard classification system for male pattern hair loss, and understanding it helps you describe your own pattern clearly and understand what your surgeon is referencing during consultation.

The stages, broadly

• Norwood I–II: Minimal to mild recession at the temples, hairline still relatively intact
• Norwood III: Clear recession at the temples, often considered the first clinically significant stage
• Norwood III Vertex–IV: Hairline recession combined with crown thinning
• Norwood V–VI: The area between hairline recession and crown thinning narrows and eventually connects
• Norwood VII: The most extensive pattern, with only a band of hair remaining around the sides and back

Why this matters for transplant planning

Your current stage — and, importantly, your surgeon's assessment of how your pattern is likely to progress — directly informs graft count planning and hairline design decisions (see our hairline design guide).

A note on female pattern hair loss

The Norwood scale specifically describes male pattern loss — female pattern hair loss follows a different classification system (the Ludwig scale), reflecting its typically more diffuse presentation. See our women's hair transplant guide for more on this distinction.

Using this in your consultation

Bringing recent photos and a rough sense of your own Norwood stage helps make your first consultation more productive, even though your surgeon will do their own thorough assessment rather than relying on self-diagnosis alone.