Norwood Stage 7

Norwood classification 7

Norwood 7 is the most extensive pattern of hair-loss. If you progress to this point, you will have lost the high sides of a Norwood 6 and your crown will have dipped down leaving a narrow strip of hair around the back and sides of your head. The temples will have receded.

The greatest restriction in transplanting this pattern is the amount of donor hair left to redistribute. In addition, there is a large area of baldness to cover.

A stage 7 pattern is the most difficult to design.

We would spend a lot of time with the individual patient discussing their design as it must look natural and it must suit the face-shape of the individual. This may involve multiple pre-operative design consultations.

The sides have dropped down and the temples have receded backwards leaving a large expanse of forehead. This is when you need the right shaped head to carry off the bald look.

This is particularly difficult from a design perspective as all of the hair structures have fallen away leaving just a rim of hair around the sides and back. A small amount of grafts could create a forelock which is not attached to anything, this is called an isolated forelock. It’s difficult to get the design right on this to make it look like a naturally occurring pattern but it is very effective in framing the face and uses only a small amount of grafts.

The other option is to rebuild the area above the ears ( the apex of the lateral hump) to create a Norwood 6 and then replace the bridge and forelock to create a Norwood 5. Density is a personal preference as a thinned look is perfectly natural.

At this stage the crown is large and the bridge must be designed to make the crown look natural. A thin scattering of fine hairs can look natural on the crown if designed well.

Norwood Stage 7 Pattern of Hair-loss.