You are thinking you’re losing your hair.  In fact, you are certain.  But are you?  Losing your hair, that is.

Losing hair…it’s a serious concern.   Check the web for research findings and studies (sites such as eMedExpert (www.eMedExpert.com), Psychology Today (www.psychologytoday.com), WebMD (www.webmd.com), Everyday Health (www.everydayhealth.com), etc.) about hair loss and emotions and it does not take long to uncover a plethora of results showing positive associations between hair loss and anxiety, hair loss and depression, hair loss and reduced confidence, hair loss and social apathy, hair loss and relationship problems…the list goes on.

You have concern, but do you have hair loss?

You want an answer.  Where do you start?

Men with this concern may consider applying the Norwood/Hamilton Scale.   Women with this concern may consider applying the Ludwig Scale and/or the Savin Scale:

Norwood/Hamilton Scale: the accepted scale for assessing male pattern baldness, first introduced by Dr. James Hamilton in the 1950s.   Includes 7 stages:

  • Stage 1 – Marked by minor recession of the hairline.   Does not require treatment.   May go unnoticed.  Do you have a family history of baldness? If not, no worry.
  • Stage 2 – Marked by a triangular recession of the hair lining the frontal temporal areas.  You notice the hair around your ears receding by several centimeters, and baldness becoming more apparent.
  • Stage 3 – The lowest level of hair loss needed for a person to be considered bald.  Your temples are bare, covered only by sparse hair. The hair towards the front of your head is forming a crown.
  • Stage 4 – The Stage 3 symptoms are pronounced.  Your hair is thinning and receding around the temples and the front of your cranium.
  • Stage 5 –  Your crown is thinning.   Your hair loss around your temples and your ears is more noticeable.
  • Stage 6 – The bridge of hair across your crown is totally lost.
  • Stage 7 – The most advanced form of hair loss. There is only a narrow band of horseshoe-shaped hair on the sides of the head and the back of the scalp.   You know the semi-circle of hair by the ears look?

Analyse your own situation against the Norwood/Hamilton Scale…follow the link https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamilton%E2%80%93Norwood_scale.

Ludwig Scale: a scale for measuring the progression of hair loss in females.

There are three types of baldness outlined by the Ludwig Scale:

  • Type 1 – You notice your hair receding and thinning on the top of your head.  May not be too noticeable at this stage.  If you suspect hair loss, part your hair.  Do you notice what appears to be a widening part line of skin?
  • Type 2 – You notice your hair is thinning, shedding, and decreasing in volume.  Center part your hair.  Is it widening?  Might be time to consult your physician with an eye on setting an appointment with a dermatologist.
  • Type 3 –  Your hair is now so thin it may not be covering your scalp.   You and everyone around you knows you are transitioning to baldness.

Analyse your own hair situation against the Ludwig picture scale…follow the link https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_scale.

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Savin Scale: This scale consists of nine pictures of a balding scalp.  (follow the link https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Savin-Scale-Savin-1994-The-Savin-scale-measures-overall-thinning-of-the-crown-scalp_fig3_5804021 to see the picture scale).

Analyse your own hair situation against the Savin picture scale.  If the first image applies to you, you are not experiencing hair loss. If the second picture applies, you are seeing the nascent stage of hair thinning.   If pictures 3 or 4 apply, the hair thinning you are experiencing is past the nascent stage and is moving towards the advanced stage.  Picture 5 reflects the advanced stage.  If your situation is reflected by picture 5 or 6, you are in the advanced stage of hair thinning.  The advanced hair thinning stages are typically a prelude to balding, as reflected by pictures 7 to 9.

You were concerned you were losing hair.  Now you’ve confirmed that you are in fact dealing with hair loss.  You are in transition from a full head of natural hair to baldness.  If you don’t like what you see and you want to look at options to maintain your look with hair, NCHR (Natural Choice Hair Replacement) is your established non-invasive, non-surgical hair replacement option for men and women in London and southwestern Ontario.  With 30+ years’ experience providing non-invasive hair system solutions to men and women in London and southwestern Ontario, we represent the stability and reliability that individuals require to support them throughout the long-term lifecycle of the hair loss/hair replacement journey.

Best,

Casey.