The Norwood-Hamilton scale is the seven-stage map dermatologists use to describe male pattern baldness (androgenetic alopecia). Find your stage below. Then use Folicle to lock the angle, take five photos a week, and watch what actually happens over the next 90 days.
An adolescent or juvenile hairline. The hairline is straight or only slightly receded, with full density across the crown and temples. Most men in their teens and early twenties sit here.
The first signs of a mature hairline. Symmetric thinning at the temples creates a soft M-shape. This is not yet pattern baldness for most men and can stay stable for decades.
The earliest stage Norwood classified as clinical male pattern baldness. The temples have moved back to a deeper M, and miniaturized hair fills the gap. Stage 3 Vertex adds visible thinning at the crown.
Recession at the temples is more severe and the crown has a clear bald spot. A strip of denser hair separates the two zones across the top of the scalp. Treatment response is still strong at this stage if started promptly.
The band between the front and the crown is narrowing and thinning. The two bald regions have not yet merged but the bridge can no longer hide them. This is often when men first describe themselves as visibly balding.
The hair bridge between front and crown has collapsed. The two regions merge into a single bald area on the top of the head. The Hippocratic horseshoe is becoming visible.
The most severe Norwood stage. Hair is gone from the entire top and front of the scalp. A thin band remains around the sides and back. Surgical restoration is limited by donor area availability at this point.
Folicle locks the angle, normalizes lighting, and shows your Hair Score over time. Free to start.