LOOKSMETER · HAIR LOSS
Norwood 6: the stage, explained
Norwood 6 is an advanced stage where the separating band is gone: the frontal and crown bald areas have joined into one continuous region across the top of the head. What remains is a broad band of hair around the sides and back.
What Norwood 6 looks like
There is no longer any bridge of hair between the front and the crown - the top of the head is one connected bald area. The hair that remains forms a wide band around the sides and back, still fairly broad at NW6 (it narrows further at NW7). The overall shape is now clearly the horseshoe pattern.
Norwood 6 vs Norwood 5 and Norwood 7
Where NW6 sits:
vs Norwood 5
NW5 still has a thin, fragile band bridging the front and crown. NW6 is when that band has disappeared and the areas have merged.
vs Norwood 7
NW7 is the final stage, where the remaining horseshoe has itself narrowed and thinned. NW6 keeps a broader, denser band around the sides and back.
What helps at Norwood 6
At Norwood 6 the realistic options - medical, transplant with limited donor coverage, or simply owning a clean shaved look - are best discussed with a professional who can see the donor area. This page is information, not medical advice.
Cosmetically, a clean shave or a very short buzz is what most people at NW6 find reads best; a well-kept short beard often balances the look, and the confidence of committing to it tends to matter more than the stage itself.
Frequently asked
What does Norwood 6 look like?
The frontal and crown bald areas have merged into one continuous region across the top of the head, leaving a broad horseshoe of hair around the sides and back.
What is the difference between Norwood 6 and Norwood 7?
NW6 keeps a broad, fairly dense horseshoe around the sides and back. NW7 is the final stage, where that remaining band has itself narrowed and thinned.
Is a hair transplant possible at Norwood 6?
It can be, but limited donor hair makes full coverage unlikely and priorities have to be set with a surgeon - so it's very much an individual, specialist question rather than something a stage number answers.
Other Norwood stages
Norwood 2
The mature adult hairline - normal, not balding.
Norwood 3
The first stage classified as balding - bare, M-shaped temples.
Norwood 4
Deeper frontal loss plus a crown that's now clearly affected.
Norwood 5
Extensive loss with the separating band now thinning.
Norwood 7
The final stage - only the horseshoe of hair remains.
The full Norwood scale
All 7 stages, side by side.
This page is general information about facial aesthetics terminology, not medical or cosmetic advice. Scores from our tools are AI-generated estimates for entertainment and self-reflection.