Out-01Staging
Norwood–Hamilton stage
I through VII with a continuous index (e.g. III · 3.4), a confidence score, and the raw measurements behind it, so a dermatologist can check the work.
Method and sources
What's in the report,
and where the numbers come from.
Free scanners exist to sell you a product. This report is the opposite: a measured stage, a genetic vs. environmental split, every lever you can pull, and the progression you can expect under more than one scenario. Below is the specification, and the papers each number is anchored to. For the scale itself, see the Norwood I–VII guide.
No account needed, and nothing is stored.
01
Spec sheet
What's in the report
Out-02Outlook
Progression, 5 & 10 years
Projected stage from your age, onset and current pattern. Untreated versus standard therapy, using published trial response rates.
Out-03Drivers
Genetic ÷ environmental
How much of what we see is androgenetic (family history, pattern, onset) versus diffuse and modifiable: stress, sleep, nutrition, smoking, traction, illness.
Out-04Levers
What to do, ranked
Graded A/B/C by evidence strength, from 5-alpha-reductase inhibitors and minoxidil down to the lifestyle changes that move the needle, and the ones that don't.
Norwood–Hamilton
III
Frontal · index 3.4
Confidence 78%
- Hairline height
- 0.71 H
- Temporal recession
- 0.49
- Vertex density
- 0.88
- Scalp loss-area ratio
- 0.27
- Outlook, untreated
- IV @ 5 yr · V @ 10 yr
- Outlook, fin + minox
- III @ 5 yr · III @ 10 yr
Example. Values shown are illustrative.
02
Method
How the numbers are made
M-01Geometry
Head-normalised frame
A dense facial landmark mesh and head pose fix a coordinate frame on your face, so measurements don't depend on distance, tilt, or phone.
M-02Inference
Pixel-level hair / skin inference
A segmentation network traces the exact hairline and finds scalp showing through hair: front, crown, and back.
M-03Grading
Anchored to clinical literature
Hairline height, temporal recession, vertex and mid-scalp density, scalp loss-area ratio, anchored to per-stage values reported in peer-reviewed work (Xi et al., Sci Rep 2025).
Clinical sources behind the numbers
- StagingNorwood–Hamilton classification (Hamilton 1951; Norwood 1975); incidence by age (Rhodes 1998).
- Crown anchorsPer-grade scalp loss-area ratios from 761 dermatologist-graded images (Xi et al., Scientific Reports 2025).
- OutlookFinasteride 1 mg five-year outcomes (Kaufman et al. 1998, 2002); minoxidil 5% response at one year (Olsen et al. 2002).
- DriversFamily history and heritability (Chumlea et al. 2004); smoking and androgenetic alopecia (Su et al. 2007).
norwood.fyi is an informational tool, not a medical device, and not a substitute for a dermatologist. Staging between adjacent Norwood grades has ~65–78% agreement even among experts; the report shows its confidence and the measurements behind it.
03
FAQ
How is this different from a free scan?
Most free scans are paid for by whatever they sell you afterwards, usually a serum, a supplement or a consult. norwood.fyi sells the report itself. For $7 you get a measured Norwood–Hamilton stage, a genetic and environmental split, every lever ranked by published evidence, and the 5- and 10-year paths under more than one scenario. There is no account, nothing is stored, and nothing is sold after you pay.
Is this backed by real research?
Yes. Staging follows the Norwood–Hamilton classification; the crown measurements are anchored to per-grade values from a 2025 peer-reviewed study of 761 dermatologist-graded images; the outlook uses published five-year trial results for finasteride and one-year results for minoxidil; the genetic and environmental drivers come from published risk studies. The sources are listed under Method, and every report shows the measurements it used so a clinician can check the work.
Is this medical advice?
No. It's a measurement and education tool. Treatment decisions, especially prescription medication, belong with a clinician. The report is built to make that conversation faster and better-informed.
Does it work for women?
The staging is the Norwood–Hamilton scale, which describes male-pattern loss. The measurements (hairline, density, scalp visibility) work on anyone, and the report flags diffuse patterns that fit female-pattern or non-androgenetic loss better.
What photos does the measurement need?
Five: face-on with hair pushed back off the forehead, left and right three-quarter views, a top-down crown shot with the forehead at the top of the frame, and the back of the head. Even, indirect light; dry, unstyled hair; no hat. Each frame is checked before it costs you a run. Bad light, a fringe covering the hairline, or a crown shot taken from the wrong angle is the usual reason a number comes back with low confidence.
Why show a continuous index, not just I–VII?
Adjacent Norwood grades agree only about 65–78% of the time even among experts, and a lot of heads sit on a boundary. The index (for example III · 3.4) is the rule stage nudged by the scalp loss-area ratio from Xi et al. 2025, kept inside that stage. The report also prints the raw measurements so a clinician can disagree with the roman numeral and still use the numbers.