Methodology and Sources
Where the numbers come from and what they do and do not mean.
The Norwood stage finder
The stage finder uses the Hamilton-Norwood classification as published by O'Tar Norwood in 1975 and as used by dermatologists and the ISHRS today. You pick the illustration that most resembles your hairline and crown; the site returns the matching stage with its standard description. It is a visual self-assessment, not a diagnosis, and it cannot see diffuse thinning, hair calibre or the donor area, all of which a clinician would assess.
Our stage illustrations are drawn in the layout of the original chart, a side profile next to a top view, and are simplified on purpose so the difference between neighbouring stages is easy to see. The full reference chart shown on the stage pages is a public domain (CC0) drawing from Wikimedia Commons.
Graft ranges on each stage page are the typical first-session estimates clinics publish for that stage. They are planning figures. Your number depends on hair calibre, donor density, the hairline design you choose, and whether the crown is treated.
- Norwood OT. Male pattern baldness: classification and incidence. South Med J. 1975
- American Academy of Dermatology: Hair loss: Who gets and causes
- ISHRS: Hair loss in men
Hair transplant cost data
The cost calculator multiplies a graft count by a per-graft price range for each country. Per-graft ranges are compiled from published clinic price lists in each market, professional-body surveys and patient-reported prices, and are reviewed at least twice a year. Where a market sells fixed-price packages (Turkey is the main example), the estimate is floored at the typical package minimum, because no clinic sells a small session for a pro-rata price.
All figures are shown in US dollars; local-currency conversions use a fixed rate noted in the data and are rounded. "Typical total" is what most patients pay for a 2,000 to 3,000 graft FUE session including surgeon and facility, before travel. It excludes consultations, PRP and other add-ons, flights and extra hotel nights, which each country page lists separately.
Cost data was last revised on 2026-08-22. We do not take money from clinics and no clinic is named on the cost pages.
- ISHRS Practice Census (procedure volumes and pricing trends)
- GoodRx: How much does a hair transplant cost?
- RealSelf: Hair transplant cost, patient-reported
Treatment guides
Guides that discuss finasteride, minoxidil, dutasteride or surgery cite the primary literature (PubMed-indexed trials and reviews) and regulator labels (FDA, MHRA, EMA). Where a guide has been checked by a qualified clinician, the reviewer is named in the byline and in the page's structured data; where it has not, it has not, and the byline says only who wrote it.
Corrections
If a number is wrong or a source is out of date, email hello@howbald.com and we will fix it and note the revision.