Am I headed towards a Norwood 7?

[delancey]

Greetings!

 

I read an article about Prince William's hair loss, and a prominent Doctor claims that he is headed towards a Norwood 7. Granted, we don't share the same genetics, however, we are the same age, with the same loss pattern and hair characteristics.

 

I am 28, and already showing strong signs of being a Norwood 6, especially with the crown dipping in the back. My hair loss is diffuse, and I would describe my hair on the sides and back as relatively thick, although when I shave it short, the lighting/shortness of my hair plays some rather unenjoyable tricks. My borders are quite defined, but so are Prince Williams's, yet a lot of people think he is headed towards a NW 7.

 

I am considering having a hair transplant surgery in a few years when I turn 30.

 

What do you guys think?

 

Mobile Uploads Photos by delancey3 | Photobucket

 

delancey3's's Library | Photobucket

[Baldietwo]

It's tricky to see from your pics. They are not great quality. Although from pic no 3 it may seem like your scalp is shining through in a NW 7 like pattern.

 

One of the pics have you with buzzed hair. Do you have more like that? In order to see where you're heading we really need good quality, sharp pictures.

[delancey]

Hey,

 

Here is another photo in the light that I took right now showing how the crown is dipping in the back.

Is this a sign of a Norwood 7 pattern?

 

IMG_9474.jpg Photo by delancey3 | Photobucket

[Baldietwo]

That's still not a great quality photo..The light conditions are awful (sorry to be blunt). This is the kind of photo we need:

 

http://www.talizi.ge/files/photogallery/norwood-class-6-hair-transplant-4000-4.jpg (i just googled this image and picked one at random)

 

Your photo is very fuzzy but I THINK the crown is heading towards a NW6 rather than a 7 but it's VERY hard to tell because of the poor quality photo.

It also looks like you've got some retro alopecia going on. This is where your hair is thinning from the nape and up. Again, it's hard to tell because of the photo quality.

[delancey]

I have uploaded a lot more pictures under a bright light. My hair is relatively short, since I buzzed it down to a zero guard just 5 weeks ago. Here you go:

 

Mobile Uploads Photos by delancey3 | Photobucket

 

Any signs of a Norwood 7 pattern?

[Baldietwo]

To my untrained eye it looks like you're heading towards a NW 6, not 7.

 

Of course, only a trained doctor can tell you for sure. If you're interested in a HT i would book a consultation.

[delancey]

Yes for sure, I have a consultation scheduled with Dr. Bisanga in December. We will see what he says.

 

I have had a diffuse pattern baldness on top for the last 6-7 years, and just over the last 2 years I have lost a lot of hair on top. My dad is a Norwood 6, at the age of 50, and no bald men on my mother's side of the family. I read online that the earlier hair loss starts, to more it will progress in the future (i.e., chances of becoming a Norwood 7 are greater). Since I started thinning already in my early 20s, this worries me. But my hair was alright just two years ago on top, and then it just fell off.

 

 

Pros:

 

- Scalp to hair color contrast

- Donor being average (I think, but we will see)

 

Cons:

 

Advanced hair loss at an early age (only 28 now)

Future hair loss?

Hair characteristics (Fine, straight)

[Garageland]

Delancey,

 

Hello we exchanged a few emails and I know that you are very concerned as you should be regarding future loss. I just looked through all your photos which were different than the ones I had seen previously. I certainly feel that your are to progress to a Norwood 6 but I can't see any clear sign from the photos that you will progress to a 7, that said I also can't give you reassurance that you won't. What worried me is that your hair seems to change texture from the nape of your neck upwards and can be seen in a couple of your photos. This may just be a trick of the light I am not sure.

 

I am glad you are going to see Dr Bisanga in December he will give you some honest advice of your situation.

[delancey]

Hi Garageland,

 

Hope all is well! I am growing out my hair again, and am going to start Propecia in December, and hopefully it can fill in my crown to improve my appearance. Do the pictures appear better now that my hair has grown out a bit?

 

Yes, I am looking forward to the consultation, just to see where I am at, measure my done density, check for miniaturization, and just get a reality check of what can be done in my situation. And in the end, if I am not a candidate, that is fine too, but at least I tried and gathered as much information as possible.

[JagXJ]

A question for Delancey:

 

is possible Norwood 7 progression a much bigger concern than progression to Norwood 6?

 

What is the thinking here? How much more hair would a Norwood 6 chap have than a Norwood 7?

[delancey]

Hi JagXJ,

 

One very important consideration for anyone undergoing a hair transplant is future hair loss, at any age, but especially at a younger age. Everyone's hair loss pattern differs slightly and it can be difficult to predict future hair loss, as a result of it being progressive. One common belief is that the more advanced hair loss is at a younger age, the more hair a person MAY lose in the future. Again, hair loss is progressive. This makes it difficult to predict. We can, however, look at family history and miniaturization to determine with reasonable accuracy what someone's future hair loss may be.

 

 

The reason why future hair loss is important is because we all have a limited amount of donor hair. A Norwood six candidate has already lost a substantial amount of hair. The amount of hair that remains in a Norwood 6 candidate is conventionally believed to be the "universal donor safe area." This hair is stronger and less likely to fall out. Keep in mind that the Norwood scale is just an estimate of someone's final hair loss pattern and it does not cover all the stages of hair loss. Everyone is different (i.e., some have relatively high sides, with a crown that is dipping in a Norwood 6 fashion; others may be a hybrid between a Norwood six and seven, meaning, for instance, that the crown dips relatively low, while the sides remain high). Everyone is different!

 

How much hair does a Norwood 6 candidate need? As Garageland above explained to me, the right answer is "as much as possible."

 

Again, hair loss is progressive and may be unpredictable. Everyone is different. Available donor hair is limited, so anyone even considering a hair transplant at a younger age must plan for future hair loss. Otherwise, what happens if and when we have used up all of our donor hair and our hair loss continues to progress? Big trouble! This is the reason why any top surgeon will not perform a hair loss surgery on someone until hair loss has stabilized, especially in the crown, where it may continue to expand, making the transplanted hair look funny.

 

I want my hair transplant to look good today, but also in 30 years. This is such an important factor to take into consideration.

 

Most people do not progress to a Norwood 7 pattern. But it does happen, so I advice anyone who is considering a hair transplant to take this into consideration. Research all of the variables. Have a miniaturization test done, consult with several "recommended" doctors, and look at your relatives from both sides of your family. The main difference between a Norwood 6 pattern and a Norwood 7 pattern is that a Norwood 7 candidate has lost a lot of hair from what is generally perceived as the "universal donor safe area." Check out the Norwood scale for a good visual representation of what the differences are between a Norwood 6 and a Norwood 7.

 

My biggest regret is that I did not get on Propecia when I first discovered that my hair was thinning. What kills me, too, is that it was so obvious that I would lose my hair on top, due to having a diffuse patterned thinning. It started in my younger 20s, maybe at age 24, but I really lost most hair on top between 26 and 28.

 

Hope this helps.

[Garageland]

Delancey,

 

It is difficult to see or predict if you are going to progress to a 7 at this stage but you are doing the right thing by getting onto propecia as this will be the best thing you can do to help prevent that from not happening.

 

Jag- Progressing to a 7 does make a great deal of difference and most 7's aren't really viable candidates unless they wish to go down the body hair route which is why Delancey is keen to make sure he is not going in that direction and I think he is very right to do so. The sides of his hair could drop a great deal and this is the most worrying factor as these would need to be built up to make it look natural. The crown would open up much further and the permanent zone reduces. I think Delancey would rather shave it off and be done with it rather than spend the next 5-10 years restoring a nw7 pattern.

[OtherSyde]

Cons:

 

Advanced hair loss at an early age (only 28 now)

Future hair loss?

Hair characteristics (Fine, straight)

 

I got my first HT at 27, and I was headed your way pretty fast - and probably would have already been there if not for the non-stop finasteride over the previous 4-5 years. Are you on finasteride?

[delancey]

Othersyde,

 

 

I am going to start Propecia in December. The wrong time to start it really, considering how far gone all of my hair is. But considering that it only took two years to lose most my hair on top (I am a diffuse thinner), I may respond well to Propecia.

 

I read that diffuse thinners have had some luck with Propecia. This is because many hairs may still be miniaturizing, so Propecia strengthens them.

 

Do you have a NW6 pattern OS?

[Baldietwo]

The wrong time to start it really, considering how far gone all of my hair is. But considering that it only took two years to lose most my hair on top (I am a diffuse thinner), I may respond well to Propecia.

 

Your rapid hairloss is similar to mine. I lost mine over 3 years or so. I went on Fin and Minox and it did wonders for me!! I've dug out from the dark corners of my image library some progress photos of my progress on minox and fin.

 

They are not very high resolution images, but these are 10 years old and good quality cameras were expensive .

This image shows progress from December 2004 to January 2006, so just over a year. I was 25 then. As you can see, it pretty much reversed my hairloss over the course of a year!

 

I was almost a slick NW 6 and 12 months later...well, you can see for yourself! My crown was still a bit thin, but it REALLY changed my look!

 

You do need to bear in mind that Fin and Minox only DELAYS hairloss. It's not a permanent solution. You will eventually loose it.

 

For me I guess it took around 5 years to go return back to NW6. At that point fin and minox did very little for me. And that's when I started researching hair transplants.

Edited November 25, 2013 by Baldietwo

[delancey]

Wow, that is very impressive Baldietwo. I am certainly going to start Propecia, but I am afraid to use Minoxidil because I don't want to shed the little hair I still have on top. Funny how every hair starts to count at this point. haha

 

I am also very concerned about my donor hair. I don't know if it is the lighting or the shortness of my hair, but it looks weak when it is short. Like I said, it could be the lighting, hair color, and shortness of my hair, but it seems more likely that it is donor miniaturization. I am only 28 years old, and in bright natural light when my hair is short, it is see through sometimes, almost as if though I have DUPA.

 

The funny thing is that when my hair grows out, it seems good, but my donor hair should be strong when short as well, not see through. This is also why I set up an in-person consultation with Dr. Bisanga, to evaluate my current hair loss, and do a miniaturization test.

 

Here is a photo when my hair is long:

 

IMG_6348.jpg Photo by delancey3 | Photobucket

 

http://s1253.photobucket.com/user/delancey3/media/Mobile%20Uploads/IMG_7495.jpg.html?sort=3&o=10

 

Here when short:

 

http://s1253.photobucket.com/user/delancey3/media/donorzones.jpeg.html?sort=3&o=0

Edited November 19, 2013 by delancey

[OtherSyde]

Othersyde, Do you have a NW6 pattern OS?

 

I think I was heading towards somewhere between a Norwood 5 and 6, given my family history. Fortunately I goton the finasteride way early, like back at 22. I got lazy and stopped it for several months at one point (I think around 24) and immediately began losing more hair, so I got back on it. With the help for finasteride I never got much worse than... Probably a Norwood 4 at the worst, which was right before/after my first HT (it was actually a little worse right after the HT due to shock loss, irocinally - see my blog).

[delancey]

OS,

 

Your hair transplant looks great. Congratulations! WOW I really hope they come up with hair cloning soon, as this is the only way forward at this point within the HT industry to solve higher NWs with average density.

 

Did you notice regrowth from Finasteride?

[OtherSyde]

OS,

 

Your hair transplant looks great. Congratulations! WOW I really hope they come up with hair cloning soon, as this is the only way forward at this point within the HT industry to solve higher NWs with average density.

 

Did you notice regrowth from Finasteride?

 

Thanks! I would absolutely say the fin is a life-saver when it comes to preventing further loss, although in my specific situation (genetically speaking) it didn't have the effect of making more than a little hair grow back, maybe a small to moderate amount of thickening up. Different people respond differently than others, as we all know... I mean I could complain about it only preventing further loss and not growing much back (like it apparently does for some lucky people), but I think I'm fine with my current situation - I'll just count my lucky stars and be content, and not piss off the universe by complaining