A Norwood 1.5 may be a slightly more accurate classification. I wouldn't say a NW1 or less though. This is what I would consider a NW1 with a widow's peak:
View attachment 95847
The hairline, although has that v-shaped piece in the forelock, still looks more or less straight, rather than going diagnoally backwards, which would indicate minor temple recession. Some may consider the above a NW0.
I classify myself as a NW1.5 because my temples have shown some very minor recession, but the temple points are still strongly intact and the bald temple patches are fairly small. If the bald temple patches were bigger and my temple points were gone, then I'd consider myself a NW2. I wouldn't necessarily say the Norwood-Hamilton scale for assessing hair loss is completely cut-and-dry. What some may consider a Norwood 1.5 others might consider a NW2. Not everyone interprets the scale exactly the same way, as one can note if they've been through many threads on this forum. In any case, hair loss, no matter how small it is, is not exactly a competition. I'm sure there are Norwood 2s, maybe even Norwood 3s, who have lower hairlines/forelocks than I do. So be it. We're all just trying to keep our hair (and maybe regrow some) here, rather than competing for the least bald medal on the forum. I'm just a normal guy doing my best to give advice that I think is helpful. The OP can decide what to do (or not to do) with that advice. Ultimately, I wish the best for the OP, his hair, and his mental health. His hair still looks great.
@Alphalete I also hope your hair is doing well too. Just out of curiousy, how well has finasteride been working for you?
