When it comes to hair loss or alopecia, it is essential to have a solid understanding of the various stages that the condition might progress through. As a result of these categorizations, you will have a better understanding of the treatment that is most appropriate for your particular case of hair loss. In this section, we will discuss the several methods by which you can evaluate the seriousness of your hair loss and how it develops, as well as the scale that is considered to be the most accurate.
What Are The Hair Loss Stages?
In most cases, when we discuss the different stages of hair loss, we are referring to hair loss that is caused by androgenic alopecia. This is due to the fact that genetic hair loss is the sort that takes place gradually over the course of time, and its patterns may be monitored as the hair follicles stop generating hair over the course of time.
In the case of some other kinds of hair loss, such as telogen effluvium or traction alopecia, the reason for the hair loss can be identified. However, in the case of androgenic hair loss, the thinning and loss of hair can continue steadily for a number of years even after the underlying cause has been addressed.
In most cases, the early stages of alopecia are characterized by a gradual loss of hair around the hairline near the temples. It is possible that your hairline will continue to recede past this point depending on factors such as your age, hormones, and heredity. This can take the shape of an M, a U, or a V, and the hair that is still present may be scant or absent altogether.
The alopecia stages begin with a bald spot on the vertex at the top of your head and move downward. There is a ring of hair that separates your receding hairline and the bald patch, and over time, as more hair is lost, this band of hair will become thinner. After some time, the balding will become so severe that there will be hair only on the back and sides of the head, with none remaining on top.
How Do You Measure The Hair Loss Stages?
Over time, a number of systems for categorizing the progression of hair loss have emerged. Norwood Hair Loss Chart has been utilized by many hair restoration doctors as the most reliable medical advise scale for decades. With the use of this scientifically-reviewed scale, specialists can assess where you are in the progression of male-pattern baldness and give you an accurate prognosis. The Norwood Hair Loss Chart not only describes these 7 stages of hair loss, but also distinguishes between types A and B. Here, we shall examine the Norwood Scale of Hair Loss.
The Norwood scale for Measuring Stages of Hair Loss
There are early phases of male pattern baldness, just as there are stages of growing bald like any other degenerative condition. Men can experience the beginning stages of receding hairlines as early as puberty. If you want to know how severe your phases of balding are, the Norwood Hamilton scale might help you. Male pattern baldness can be measured using the Norwood scale, which categorizes the various stages of the condition. It classifies the stages of male pattern baldness according to the amount of hair loss and a receding hairline, which results in a more pronounced appearance of the forehead in men. Here are the different stages of alopecia
Stage 1: Unobservable hair loss around the temples.
When it comes to male pattern baldness, the Norwood Scale indicates that the initial stage does not involve any significant changes to the hair loss scale or the hairline. This stage of hair loss is characterized by thinning hair in the temples and on the forehead, as measured by the Norwood scale. This is the onset of male pattern baldness.
Stage 2: Receding hair and an M-shaped hairline
Hair thinning at the temples and the forehead is a telltale sign of stage 2 male pattern baldness, which occurs at a more advanced stage of baldness. This condition is also known as male pattern baldness or frontal thinning in men. In this stage, your forehead expands and your temples become more pronounced. Hair loss around the forehead results in an M-shaped hairline, which is barely perceptible at this point.
Stage 3: Visible thinning and receding hairline forming M, U, and V shapes.
In stage 3 of male pattern baldness, as measured by the Norwood Hamilton Scale, the thinning or loss of hair is more noticeable. Your hairline moves back more, which widens your forehead and creates a ‘M,’ ‘U,’ or ‘V’ shape on the top of your head. On the Norwood Scale, this stage is designated as ‘baldness’ since the amount of hair loss has progressed to the point that it qualifies as baldness.
Stage 4: Significant thinning of the hair on the back of the head
According to the Norwood scale, when you reach this stage of male pattern baldness, you will undoubtedly experience a significant amount of hair loss. Increasing numbers of bald areas can be seen. The hair on top of your head starts to get sparser, and vast swaths of it disappear from the back and sides of your head.
Stage 5: U-shaped or horseshoe-shaped hairline at the top of your head
This stage is characterized by the existence of either a traditional horseshoe-shaped or a U-shaped hairline. If you have reached this point, a substantial amount of hair has been lost from your hairline. When male pattern baldness has progressed to this stage, it is more difficult to manage the hair loss that occurs. When a person reaches stage 5 on the Norwood Hamilton Scale, their hair loss and balding are at such an advanced stage that it is nearly impossible to observe any immediate, obvious results.
Stage 6: Visible scalp and enlargement of bald areas
When you’ve reached Stage 6 of male pattern baldness, the hair on your head is beginning to thin, and the bald spots on your scalp are becoming wider. The Norwood Hamilton Scale indicates that hair loss is occurring on the sides of the head.
Stage 7: The hairline has receded to the crown, and there is very little thin hair.
You should be aware that if you have reached stage 7 on the Norwood Hamilton Scale, this indicates that you have lost the majority of your hair by this point. Your hairline has receded all the way to the crown, and the scant amount of hair that is left on the sides and back of your head is of poor quality.
Female Hair Loss Classification
The stages of hair loss that occur during female pattern baldness are significantly distinct from those that occur during male pattern baldness. As a direct result of this, a variety of hair loss scales have been established in order to categorize the degree of thinning. If you have androgenetic alopecia as a woman, your hairline will retreat from a central parting as you get older. This happens naturally with aging. Because of this, the hair will appear thinner in this location, and the effect will spread further outward. The thinning hair that covers the balding regions is also more likely to be thicker than the hair that totally covers them. The Ludwig classification was one of the early classifications of hair loss phases for women. This classification only featured three different forms of hair loss. This was elaborated upon by the Savin scale for hair loss, which made additional distinctions between the various types of hair loss and included additional different types of hair loss, such as frontal hair loss.
Treatment for Male Pattern Baldness
In most cases, the treatment of male pattern hair loss depends on the degree of baldness, as many drugs are unlikely to be effective in more advanced stages of the condition. The following are some of the available treatment methods for male pattern baldness.
- Medication: With regular use, certain hair loss medications might enhance hair growth. Applying minoxidil topically to your scalp can stop hair loss and encourage hair growth. It has FDA approval. Finasteride, a medication that lowers the body’s DHT levels, is an excellent alternative. Unfortunately, the value of these medications depends on how you use them.
- Hair Transplant: Hair transplants are generally expensive but helpful. In essence, your doctor will relocate good hair from the back and sides of your head to the top portion. For this to work, a few steps must be followed.
Other alternatives include embracing your baldness or donning a hairpiece.
Conclusion
If you are concerned about your hair falling out or becoming thinner, the best time to take action is right now. In the early stages of Norwood, more hair loss can be prevented by making changes to your lifestyle, using products available without a prescription, or switching up your routine for taking care of your hair. It is possible that the use of some prescription medications, such as the minoxidil serum or the finasteride pill, can result in an improvement in the appearance of the hair.
There are alternatives available for persons with permanent hair loss who identify with the later phases of the Norwood scale to restore a full head of hair with only a small amount of surgical intervention. After roughly two years, hair follicles that are no longer actively producing hair enter a state of dormancy from which they cannot be revived. In this scenario, it is important to start thinking about the efficient and long-lasting outcomes that can be achieved through medical aesthetic treatment.
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