The Norwood scale, also known as the Hamilton-Norwood scale is a classification system that uses a 1 to 7 scale, to help doctors measure the extent of male pattern baldness. It was first introduced by Dr. James Hamilton in 1951, after observing the male-pattern baldness signs in over 300 men. However, it was updated later by O’Tar T. Norwood in the 1970s, and it’s now referred to as the Norwood Scale.
Most cosmetic clinics are now using this scale to diagnose the extent of baldness, discuss treatment options, and measure the effectiveness of treatment. To help you understand your case better, we are going to discuss Norwood Scale 6 which is usually characterized by a hair loss at the front of your scalp, in addition, to increase the balding of the temples and the crown. You can also notice at that point, that both areas of hair loss have joined, and there is more thinning or even total hair loss on the small band that was previously separating the forehead and crown.
How does Norwood scale 6 look like?
You can know that you have reached Norwood 6 when the hair bridge that is separating the crown from the frontal tuft has disappeared leaving you with a large bald area. At this stage, you can notice that the temples have also receded, however, the sides above your ears and around your crown will stay high.
There is still an available treatment at this point of baldness, which is a hair transplant; however, according to many experts, there is a big concern of not having enough donor hair to do a hair transplant in the first place; doctors think that the FUE method is the best way to harvest hair from the sides and back of your head, especially since the strip surgery could not be performed in an efficient way at this point.
Doctors aim to achieve a natural look after a hair transplant, that is why they can join the existing sides of the hair to the hairline. It is possible to lower your hairline by reconstructing it with the temples, however, this can be done at the expense of your crown grafts. The forelock and the bridge hair have gone by now but the high sides above your ears which hold the bridge in place are still intact.
As you know, the number of the available donor hair can affect the treated balding area to reverse the Norwood 6 to a Norwood 5 or 4. This look can be achieved by implanting a small amount of hair in the crown area, however, to create a natural look, we recommend doing a hair transplant on the forelock too.
Can Norwood scale 6 get a hair transplant?
Yes, hair transplant surgeries can be done on all types and stages of hair loss, especially, Norwood 6 patients. However, seeking treatment early and fast can achieve better and more successful results. Up until now, most experts considers hair transplant as the most effective treatment to restore hair into your balding scalp.
You can see many examples of successful hair transplant surgeries, especially at this point of hair loss. You may already know that the FUE hair transplant technique is considered the most effective treatment to advance hair loss. It has many advantages and features such as extracting the follicular units one by one and begin a minimally invasive procedure that leaves nearly invisible scars.
How many grafts are needed for Norwood scale 6?
Norwood 6 is considered a very advanced stage of hair loss, that is why it will certainly need more healthy grafts to be extracted and transplanted in order to cover the bald areas reversing the time effect on your hair.
However, you should keep in mind that the number of used grafts depends on many factors such as hair thickness, balding area size, available grafts, and the used technique to extract grafts, open incisions, and place the hair facilities. In general, the number of grafts can be around 3000 to 4600 for the frontal area, and another 5000 to 6400 grafts for the crown coverage.
In the end, it is important to understand that the exact number of needed grafts can be determined only by seeing and consulting with a specialist doctor.
References:
https://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/hair-loss/what-is-the-norwood-scale
