Norwood Scale

The Norwood Scale is a widely used staging system that categorizes the typical patterns and severity of male pattern hair loss into a series of progressive types. Developed from earlier classifications, it ranges from minimal recession at the temples to extensive vertex and frontal baldness, providing a visual framework clinicians and patients can use to describe the distribution and extent of hair loss.

In practice the Norwood Scale helps with clinical assessment, treatment selection, and surgical planning by indicating the likely pattern of future hair loss and the areas most affected, but it does not measure hair density or predict exact progression rate. It is most applicable to androgenetic (male pattern) hair loss and has limitations for female pattern hair loss and other causes of shedding, so practitioners often combine it with density counts, family history, and diagnostic tests when forming a management plan.