Is Norwood 2 really a mature hairline

[Dav7]

Ok, so I have been talking to a HT surgeon who has said I can achieve a Norwood Level 2 with my first HT in May/ June. However, I'm wondering (and please be brutally and painfully honest) is a Norwood 2 hairline really a mature hairline, or is it simply the best that current HT procedure's can produce? Is a mature hairline really a NW2, or is it actually a NW1.5 say but that most surgeons in the field are hesitant about going down to anything below a NW2 in case of future loss etc?

Also this talk of NW2 + mature hairline's etc. is a result of my own personal research into this topic, and the HT surgeon never mentioned anything about mature hairlines, but rather just stated a "NW2 appearance/ look would be achievable". So it's more to do with finding out what I am setting myself up for. Part of me wishfully thinks that indeed a NW2 is indeed a mature hairline, but the more skeptical/ cynical side of me says that it is simply the starting phase of MPB and that HT surgeon's simply do not want to go down beyond this level because of the limitations of current HT practice such as limited/ finite donor supply, unpredictable future loss etc.

[burtandernie]

Good question. I think its just a limitation of HT, but if its possible to get NW 1 or NW 0 I think that certainly should be the person choice not the doctor its largely opinion whether you want it or not. Maybe its not technically possible though with current methods.

[redy]

nw1 is a mature hairline

a mature hairline is one that is round throughout the hairline, from corner to corner, and often with white males it will meet a rounded inward temple area that.

hairline: downward facing "("
temples: "(" and ")"

if it looks more like a "U", it's past mature.

It's very simple.

[burtandernie]

Okay but is going lower then mature hairline then a limitation of HT? You did not answer that part.

[greatjob!]

IMO a NW 2 with full coverage is a full head of hair. If you are over 25 years old and are extremely unhappy with being a NW 2, hair is not your problem.

[burtandernie]

IMO a NW 2 with full coverage is a full head of hair. If you are over 25 years old and are extremely unhappy with being a NW 2, hair is not your problem.

Keywords being in your opinion. Someone over 25 with any hair loss has a perfectly valid argument with wanting back missing hair just as a NW 7 does. Someone wanting to be NW 0/1 over 25 might just have higher standards then others that dont care. People striving for perfection is what makes our country great.

[greatjob!]

Keywords being in your opinion. Someone over 25 with any hair loss has a perfectly valid argument with wanting back missing hair just as a NW 7 does. Someone wanting to be NW 0/1 over 25 might just have higher standards then others that dont care. People striving for perfection is what makes our country great.

I'll repeat it without "IMO", if you are a NW 1/2 and spend all your time on hairloss forums, hair loss is not your problem, and being a NW 0 won't solve your problems because you'll just invent new problems to obsess over

[BigThinker]

The diversity of the responses is testament enough to how inexact and subjective of a term "mature hairline" is, and even the NW scale itself.

How about you just have the doc draw lines on your head and decide if you're comfortable with out it will look.

Is your hairloss stable btw?

[Dav7]

How about you just have the doc draw lines on your head and decide if you're comfortable with out it will look.

@BigThinker,

Thank you for this suggestion, I just did this and got a reply from the doctor and I have to say I am absolutely delighted with the proposal. I am honestly beginning to wonder if I should just ignore the Norwood chart from now on and just consider it to be a rough guide for HT surgeons/ docs, as opposed to the definite outcome of a HT procedure. I say so because the hairline proposed by the doctor is one that I am 100% satisfied with, and to be honest given that I have coarse hair, I would pull off this look really well.

Again, I feel I can look 5 years younger or more after this procedure, so if this is what can be achieved with a Norwood 2, I don't get this obsession with "Norwood 0's". Then again perhaps we are all different, but this hairline proposal is something I would truly be happy with. Good times ahead anyway

[BigThinker]

@BigThinker,

Thank you for this suggestion, I just did this and got a reply from the doctor and I have to say I am absolutely delighted with the proposal. I am honestly beginning to wonder if I should just ignore the Norwood chart from now on and just consider it to be a rough guide for HT surgeons/ docs, as opposed to the definite outcome of a HT procedure. I say so because the hairline proposed by the doctor is one that I am 100% satisfied with, and to be honest given that I have coarse hair, I would pull off this look really well.

Again, I feel I can look 5 years younger or more after this procedure, so if this is what can be achieved with a Norwood 2, I don't get this obsession with "Norwood 0's". Then again perhaps we are all different, but this hairline proposal is something I would truly be happy with. Good times ahead anyway

Yep. If you're satisfied, that's all that matters. Normal people on the street don't look at you and go, "gee, look at that Norwoord 4".

I think an NW 3 or NW 4 can still frame the face of a confident guy who just owns it. In my opinion, that's what it's all about, framing your face.

[redy]

Yep. If you're satisfied, that's all that matters. Normal people on the street don't look at you and go, "gee, look at that Norwoord 4".

I think an NW 3 or NW 4 can still frame the face of a confident guy who just owns it. In my opinion, that's what it's all about, framing your face.

smiles and bright eyes will always win

[ryan555]

First off, there is no such thing as a Norwood 0. That is a term made up on Internet forums.

The existence of a "mature hairline," regardless of whether its a NW1 or a NW2, is based upon the observation that the hair in the hair line is highly sensitive to DHT after puberty and that many (probably most) men experience some level of recession in their hairline even when they are not balding. It is exceptionally rare to maintain a childhood hairline late into adulthood and it actually can look feminine and strange on some men. Many men can progress to what you would call a NW2 without ever experiencing significant hair loss, or it can take many years to happen.

A good surgeon will generally restore you to a NW2 because a) it gives the appearance of a full head of hair at 20 and at 80 and b) it reserves donor hair for the future. Your goals are not going to be the same when you're very young vs when you're older. A higher hair line will not only look more appropriate as you age, it will look more natural if you lose density over time.

[Hicks]

Yep. If you're satisfied, that's all that matters. Normal people on the street don't look at you and go, "gee, look at that Norwoord 4".

I think an NW 3 or NW 4 can still frame the face of a confident guy who just owns it. In my opinion, that's what it's all about, framing your face.

+1 own it

[capitan]

I've never had an HT but from what I've read, they should use a marker to draw on your scalp where the hairline would be.

As far as I know, a NW2 as it looks like on the charts would not be considered unattractive by any woman.

I'm a NW3 and with 4 inches length of hair on the top and 2 buzzcut all around the sides and back, I can recreate a NW1 and I get compliments on my hair all the time. Unless I pull back my hair and show them the Jude Law that I actually am.

[PatientlyWaiting]

I'm pretty sure HT doctors can give you NW0-1 if you have the donor for it but they just feel it's unethical and unrealistic to do that. It's not a limitation as in, that is all the surgeons are able to do, more like a limitation to what they allow you to have. But they could give you NW0-1, they are capable if you have the donor. If that's what you are asking. In other words, surgeons don't like giving NW1's.