The most common type of baldness is male pattern baldness, which occurs in stages. However, there is no definite time line for how this type of baldness progresses. You may notice that your hair has begun to thin quite noticeably in a short space of time, and then you might stay at that level of baldness for a long time before the next stage becomes obvious.
The best way of assessing how much hair you have lost and how rapidly you are losing it is by comparing photographs of you now to photos taken a few years ago.
The Norwood classification is an internationally recognised method of plotting the stages of hair loss in men. Below is a simplified version of the Norwood classification:
- STAGE 1 – The first tell-tale sign of the onset of Male Pattern Baldness is the frontal recessions in the hairline.
- STAGE 2 – Over time these recessions become larger and much more noticeable, and the hairline moves further back.
- STAGE 3 – At the same time as the recessions taking place, a thinning area may also appear on the crown and will gradually increase in size.
- STAGE 4 – The final stage of Male Pattern Baldness is when the hair is lost completely from the crown and frontal region, leaving the familiar horse shoe shape.
We understand the stress and anxiety that male pattern baldness can cause and our team of expert surgeons here at The Private Clinic are highly experienced in diagnosing and treating male pattern baldness to help restore hair loss.
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