Norwood Variant A

[alphalone]

Whats your guys knowledge on this? Better HT candidate? Generally less hair to lose in the long term?

 

I am of the A variety so just clutching for any hope really!

[bonkerstonker]

Your question is not very clear mate.

[mahhong]

I don't think it makes a whole lot of difference in terms of suitability for a HT or the amount of hair lost.

 

Basically the major factor with a Norwood A variant balding pattern is that the hairline recedes backwards until the final pattern is established. Normal Norwood patterns will usually see crown loss at the same time as temple/hairline loss, leaving a sort of "island" of miniaturizing hair in the mid-scalp that you'll see commonly on a lot of men. Norwood A variant just means the hairline recedes and continues to recede until the final pattern emerges.

 

There are variants of the A pattern too, remember. NW3a generally just means recession of the hairline with most of the midscalp and crown remaining, NW4a will usually see the mid-scalp disappear but a lot of the vertex/crown stay, and NW5a will see most of the crown disappear, leaving a final pattern that is actually more like a milder NW6 in appearance, though there will probably be more miniaturized hairs still visible in the balding area than with an NW6.

 

So, in answer, you should be about the same level of candidate as a standard NW case and it doesn't necessarily mean you will end up with more or less hair than a standard NW case.

 

The only thing I don't know for sure is whether being a NWa case removes the risk of you becoming an NW6/7 as a final pattern. If that was the case, perhaps the only "advantage" of being a NWa case is that your suitability as a candidate for HT might be more likely, but I'm speculating here. Similarly, speculating on the negatives again, I don't know whether the successive, heavily patterned characteristic of a NWa case means you're more likely to need multiple HTs, because you'll need to fill in loss as time progresses. Medication would limit this risk, but chances are over your lifetime you'd still need mutliple procedures if you were heading towards a NW5a, because the medication is unlikely to halt your loss indefinitely.

 

Anyway sorry, I'm just speculating openly here!

[KO]

A-class dudes are good candidates because of a simple reason - they are not "as bald as they look". Basically their hair loss is concentrated towards the front, which balds at an early age and becomes shiny, whereas the rest of their hair stays strong.

 

 

I think the key to good HT candidacy more so than NW level is - whether you have high sides or not. If you have high sides, I think you are usually a good candidate.

[Dutch]

Im a NW5A & was bald as a badger (I know badgers aren't bald). My sides weren't that high up either. A Norwood 5 is worse than a Norwood 5A for example. The crown has more loss

[chrisdav]

Put some pictures up alphalone, easiest way.