4 years of balding - which norwood am I?

[Happy as Larry]

Ok, finally got round to taking pictures of my hair loss. Been losing since I was 17, and I'm 22 now, so it's 4 and a half years of hair loss (although have been using finasteride last few months). Where would you say I'm at on the norwood scale? I think Norwood 2 with thinning.

http://s605.photobucket.com/albums/tt138/Mr_Frazman/?action=view&current=Image2.jpg


http://s605.photobucket.com/albums/tt138/Mr_Frazman/?action=view&current=Image4.jpg


http://s605.photobucket.com/albums/tt138/Mr_Frazman/?action=view&current=Image3.jpg


The next 2 are dry and styled, so it's not really noticeable.


http://s605.photobucket.com/albums/tt138/Mr_Frazman/?action=view&current=Image5.jpg


http://s605.photobucket.com/albums/tt138/Mr_Frazman/?action=view&current=Image6.jpg

 

[s.a.f]

If thats 4 yrs of balding you must've looked like a Japanese aime character before I dont see any real hairloss, just a normal head of hair.

 

[Smooth]

No, i think he is balding, slowly but yeah... anyways cought in time , and it seems around Norwood 1.5-2~

 

[Happy as Larry]

I thought they do show balding - the first one definitely shows recession, and it is thinner that it used to be, but maybe because the thinning has been relatively even and not that severe (yet) it looks like it could still be a normal density...How strange perspective is. I've literally been reduced to tears some nights over this, only to have someone tell me on here it's just a normal head of hair...

 

[Smooth]

Well s.a.f is balding for a long *** time now and probebly forgot how it looks when it starts but i to me, it reminds me of my hair at the beginning of the curse
a few questions tho; do you notice hairs on the pillow or at the shower? and any bald relatives in your family?

 

[Happy as Larry]

To be honest, I don't pay attention to hair I lose in the shower or anything, because I know it's not a reliable way to assess balding. Yeah, though, lots of bald relatives - both my grandads are Norwood 6 (maternal started to lose it in his 20s, paternal in his 50s), my mum's brother is Norwood 5, and my dad's brother is a full Norwood 7. My dad himself still has hair, and he's in his 50s - he's a very thinned out nw2. Basically...I'm screwed

 

[s.a.f]

You're not screwed at all your hair looks better than mine did when I was 16, and if it does start to go at least you can get on treatments at the early stages, I dont know why your worrying when even if you think you are loosing it it does'nt look that way to the rest of the world.

ANYONE WHO IS BELOW A NW3 SHOULD BE MAKING THE MOST OF IT NOT ON HERE CRYING.

 

[Happy as Larry]

You're right, I do try to enjoy my hair while I have it, but it is going already, even though I don't have quite the same uber-aggressive balding some young guys on here have. I am a norwood 2 with diffuse thinning (I'll post some more pics that show the thinning better), which means I'm a legitimate balder - it's not just a mature hairline. I don't think it makes any sense to say "if you're under Norwood 3 you shouldn't be worrying about it" - such cut offs are arbitrary and illogical. Regardless of age or severity of hair loss, a person' personality can mean they experience a great deal of misery because of it, that needs to be taken into account aswell. My dad is in his 50s, and hates that his hair is thinning, and I wouldn't dream of saying "you shouldn't care about this", because he's sensitive and neurotic like me and it ain't my place to tell someone what should bother them.

 

[Obsidian]

The sides are going back, I would say a diffuse 2-2.5 at worse.

 

[Happy as Larry]

Thanks, that's what i figured Obsidian. Has your hair changed since you took those pics? It looked pretty good there from what I can tell.

 

[Axl_Rose]

Norwood 1.5.

 

[first]

Looks like a perfect mature hairline to me. If you are Norwood 2.5 or above, you are in my eyes perfectly fine. Sure you may want to consider some proactive treatment but in terms of looks you should be pleased. If you start to get below NW3 it will deteriorate your looks however, which may feel troublesome for some.

 

[cuebald]

First picture definitely shows mild recession and mild diffusing.
Dry pictures show - a mature hairline.

Norwood 2.5 at the most?

 

[Fundi]

I have similar loss to yours. NW2 I think with slight thinning.

Started at 17, now 22, slow moving.

My Doctor said that although I'm balding, he wouldn't be surprised if even by 30 to most I would appear to have decent hair. (I don't believe him on this though).

 

[Happy as Larry]

I actually thought I was experienceing quite fast hair loss, it's reassuring to hear that people think it isn't very bad or is moving slowly. I think I'm losing in a similar way to my older brother - rapid recession, which reached the norwood 2 position in just months, followed by years of quite slow thinning. My brother is a thin Norwood 3 at the age of 27.

I'm back at my mum's house this weekend, and the bathroom light here is brutal - an intensely bright light placed just above the mirror which shines directly onto your hair (or scalp...). If I'm ever feeling good about my hair that mirror soon kills the feeling. My hair used to be so thick that even when wet I could barely see my scalp under that light, now it's slowly creeping through even when dry.

 

[toocoolforhair]

Just keep your hair dry and nobody can tell.

 

[Hope4hairRedux]

I think every guy with male pattern baldness gets to a point where he has to decide on shaving his head completely. Once your hair has diffused enough it gets to a point where it will looks obvoius and ugly, thats the time to shave. I guess I am slowly slowly diffusing at the moment. But its hard to tell. When the times comes that it is noticable, I will think about shaving - although it might be hard at first and might take some getting used to, im sure it wont be such a big deal after a while.

Ive been on holiday and again I have come back motivated. I saw loads of bald guys around, different races and countries. The vast majority actually looked great. Those that did had a healthly glow, a good body shape, and had varying tans. Its great to get out of england/britian and see that the 'bald' we have here is only so terrible because it accompanies also looking unhealthy, which in my opinion is the main reason why being bald doesnt look good.

As long as your headshape isnt too out of proportion, and your looks at least average, then you really arent in a bad position. Working on diet you can achieve a healthy glow, a slim and toned body. And so on. I think I get depressed often because all I ever see are bald people in england, and a lot of them look f*****g nasty. Im not saying that its all easy work, but bottom line is that you would be amazed just how much you can transform yourself if you work on it.

Saw quite a few asian bald guys, some of them look so slick..Imo its all about making sure your skin is smooth and a nice colour. If you have no hair, then your skin becomes your primary feature - so make sure it looks nice. People with hair can get by with worse skin and so on, but we need to make sure things like your skin tone and clearness are good.

 

[BungleBungle]

ANYONE WHO IS BELOW A NW3 SHOULD BE MAKING THE MOST OF IT NOT ON HERE CRYING.

That's like a person with only one leg and no arms saying "Anyone who has more than one limb should not be crying!"

Yes, things can always be worse. If you get shot, it can also then start to rain.

But belittling people at the beginning of hairloss is just daft.

If you're a handsome man, who has always had a full, long hairstyle, going from a NW1 to a NW2 can be as traumatic as someone who has never played on their looks going from a 1-4.

 

[s.a.f]

ANYONE WHO IS BELOW A NW3 SHOULD BE MAKING THE MOST OF IT NOT ON HERE CRYING.

That's like a person with only one leg and no arms saying "Anyone who has more than one limb should not be crying!"

Course it is mate .... :whistle:

 

[Happy as Larry]

If you're a handsome man, who has always had a full, long hairstyle, going from a NW1 to a NW2 can be as traumatic as someone who has never played on their looks going from a 1-4.

I don't honestly believe going to a Norwood 2 would ever be as bad as going from 1-4, but the main thing that makes the early stages of hair loss tough isn't the actual change to your appearance, but the sense of impending doom, and the dread of things deteriorating. It's enough to cause bouts of serious anxiety imo.