Assess Your Male Pattern Hair Loss With The Norwood Scale

When you look at several balding men it’s obvious that male hair loss has several different stages to it. To assess the degree of male pattern hair loss a chart, called the Norwood Scale, was invented. This scale for male pattern hair loss begins by showing a male hair pattern that has no visible signs of hair loss. The scale then shows the progression of male pattern hair loss as the front hairline recedes back in a wedge shape. As the balding progresses the pictures depict hair that is both receding in the front hairline and thinning at the crown of the head. The last picture shows a man who has the typical “horseshoe” pattern associated with men who have lost all their hair except that which is on the sides and very back of the head. This Norwood Scale is used by doctors to assess the degree of male pattern hair loss in men and determine what type of hair loss treatment is the best option. Since some medications only have their best results with hair loss that is in its early stages it is important to know how far along your hair loss has progressed before treatment can be administered. If you want to know the stage of your own hair loss progression simply type in “Norwood Scale” into your Internet browser and you can compare the stages for yourself.