Is There Any Hope for Norwood 6 Patients?
Hi Dr Rassman,
Had a question about hair transplantation. In your professional experience in treating thousands of patients, would you say there is any hope for norwood 6’s?? I mean I know the limitations of supply and that everyones characteristics are different, but can a norwood 6 get any kind of decent coverage to get rid of the bald look. I ask because I fear thats where I am headed.
Have many norwood 6’s on my father side and have been loosing hair. At the moment I have arrested it with the help of finasteride (stopping around a norwood 3 and have not progressed in over a year), but as you keep stating, eventually your genes win, so I was just wondering what advice you give to people high up on the norwood scale, and if transplantation can do anything for them. thanks
We have transplanted many Norwood 6 pattern balding people. Some have excellent results, such as the one shown here (click the photos to enlarge):
You can read more about this patient here and here, but in case you don’t want to click, he had a single procedure of 2781 grafts. The results shown are after 9 months.
These type of results occur in people with average or above average hair density, and medium or coarser hair thickness. Don’t lose hope.
Dr Rassman, you didn’t answer the question. The reader asked about coverage, not filling only the front and leaving the crown bald.
Looks like impressive coverage to me.
Presenting this patient as a typical result for a Norwood 6 is very deceptive indeed.
Why is it deceptive? I’m interested. Is there a ‘standard’ bad transplant for Norwood 6 patients or something?
It’s deceptive because 2700 grafts on a typicasl norwood 6 with average characteristics will be very thin indeed.
This patient was a very good candidate for surgery, probably top 10%.
DECEPTIVE.
The article above states ‘some Norwood 6 patients have excellent results – so don’t give up hope’ it doesn’t present the candidate as a guaranteed outcome as I’m pretty sure even poor surgeons would tell you a lot depends on your hair density, character etc.
I can only assume you’re looking for deception and possibly not reading the article properly.
The question was ‘is there any hope for Norwood 6 patients’ the doctor quite rightly pointed out that many Norwood 6s get transplants and some have excellent results. If the question was ‘what is the typical thickness on display for a post transplanted Norwood 6’ I’m sure there would have been a different answer (or a range of answers since ‘typical’ results vary).
Yes Paul, massively deceptive to roll out a candidate in the top 10% of norwood 6 patient results to “give hope”
For 90% of patients this is FALSE HOPE.
Hmm…I don’t know about that.
I have seen other cases where Norwood 5s, 6s, and 7s, get pretty decent results. It may take more than one surgery and more than 2700 grafts, but I don’t think all hope is lost, provided you have realisitic expectations. Dr. Bernstein in NYC has worked with a lot of Norwood 5+s and achieved some good results.
I think fairly advanced balding men who are willing to take the challenge seriously can do ok. But I think it means a real commitment to medical therapy (Rogaine, Propecia, maybe laser light therapy depending how its effectiveness pans out), perhaps the use of SMP and/or some topical concealers (DermaMatch, Couvre, Toppik), cutting/styling your hair in a way that maximizes coverage and fullness, and maybe living a healthier lifestyle, utilizing some common sense vitamin supplements for overall hair health…
Together, if you are committed to it, I think you can do ok.
I think your stats are off. Have you got some evidence that only 10% of Norwood 6 transplant patients get decent coverage? You seem to have seen more than the hair transplant surgeons then. And again you made a comment that does not indicate you even read Dr Rassmans original reply. I can only assume you are making a bad faith argument in that case.
One quick word…check out AJ McLean’s hair transplant from the 90s boy band the Backstreet Boys.
He was a pretty advanced balder…I’d say a Norwood 5 or 6.
https://blog.music.aol.com/2013/04/06/a-j-mclean-hair-transplant/
to: (check out the “latest video” on the lower right hand corner.
https://ajmclean.com/
He recently got a hair transplant and showed the results. I think he looks great.
Sure, he may be using some Toppik or something along with his transplant. But the fact is that altogether, he looks great, like he has a full head of hair. A guy who was like a Norwood 5 or 6 now looks like he has a full head of hair.
There is hope guys, if you are willing to do the work. Do not despair.