News and Insights

A hair-raising tale of turning a taboo into a trend

September 30, 2026

Combing through the Turkish hair transplant PR playbook

Just over three years ago, I walked into the Hearst Tower on West 57th Street to meet with a journalist. When she introduced me to her colleagues, one said, “Oh, you’re the ‘Hair Transplant Girl’!” It was the first time anyone had called me that, and it caught me off guard. I’ve long been known for my PR work in aviation and travel and tourism, so being identified by this niche, unexpected expertise was oddly satisfying.

Yes, I am the ‘Hair Transplant Girl,’ having spent the last few years normalizing conversations around procedures that help men proudly own their hair restoration journeys, one story at a time.

What started as a label I wasn’t sure how to wear became a badge of honor – a strategic opportunity to chip away at the stigma around a topic men have both agonized over in private and hidden in public for decades. Since that day in the Hearst Tower, I have had hundreds of conversations with journalists, content creators and strangers who just wanted to talk once they realized I wouldn’t flinch. Nearly all followed a pattern: a joke, nervous laughter, and then testing the waters before relating a story of confidence rebuilt, a decision years in the making, and the restoration of a piece of themselves they thought was lost for good.

The viral campaign

Not long ago, the idea of a group of American guys flying to Istanbul to talk openly about their hairlines on camera for millions of followers would have been unthinkable. Today it’s the heart of Baldstool, a hit franchise with Barstool Sports and a masterclass in what can happen when the right strategic partnership meets a story that people are dying to tell to audiences longing to listen.

The pitch was simple: Rather than just talking, what if personalities from Barstool actually did something about their hair loss and brought their fans along for the journey? FINN Partners’ client Estenove, a top hair transplant clinic in Istanbul, seized the concept. Trusting our PR vision, Estenove brought our strategy to life, flying Barstool talent and their fans to Istanbul for full hair restorations.

From a single trip in late 2024, Baldstool has grown into a full cultural and media franchise. By its second season, the campaign scaled to more than two-dozen participants and a multi-person camera crew. Such has been the momentum that Estenove’s surgeons now keep a branded Baldstool cap in their consultation office, and “Stoolies” are asking how to sign up for Season 3.

The campaign went well beyond novelty, as Barstool’s talent documented every step of the process unfiltered, with jokes included, from pre-surgery jitters to recovery. The openness helped turn a private procedure into a relatable story, pulling press interest from outlets far outside of Barstool’s usual lane.

Roots of the wave

Media interest in Turkish hair restoration didn’t start with Barstool Sports. Two years prior to Baldstool, we ushered top-tier journalists, comedians, and social media personalities to Istanbul to experienced Estenove and tell their own stories, laying the foundational groundwork for credibility and cultural relevance. credibility and cultural relevance.

Interest also grew as the broader macro-market shift moved in Estenove’s favor. Global medical tourism, once a niche category, has become one of the fastest-growing sectors at the intersection of travel and healthcare. Recent market analysis estimates the global medical tourism market at roughly $34 billion in 2025, with projections to climb over $126 billion by 2035. Türkiye, in particular, has captured an outsized share of that growth specifically around hair restoration.

This transformation represents a seamless fusion of travel and healthcare. Patients booking hair transplants in Istanbul are, in effect, booking high-end travel experiences: flights, hotels, curated sightseeing during recovery, and all-inclusive packages that bundle the procedure with world-class hospitality.  Medical tourism and travel have effectively merged into a single purchase decision, and Estenove stood right at that intersection well before Baldstool turned it viral.

Targeting the taboo

For decades, hair loss has been something men dealt with quietly, a source of anxiety they weren’t supposed to call attention to let alone act upon. Treated as inevitable, hair loss was supposed to be accepted in silence, often under a hat, rather than addressed publicly. Yet male-pattern hair loss is far from a niche concern: Medical research estimates it affects between 30% and 50% of men by age 50.

That’s the exact narrative our partnership with Estenove pushed back against. We didn’t shame anyone for going bald, a look that’s certainly worth celebrating.

Instead, the campaign recast the alternative: For those who aren’t ready to let go of their hairline, there is now a legitimate, medically sound path to get it back, and there’s no reason to hide it.The resulting confidence wasn’t about the choice people made. It was about having the freedom to make it out loud.

Why expertise is the real story

It would be easy to reduce the Turkish hair trend to a simple matter of cost: While pricing in Istanbul is undeniably competitive – ranging from $2,800 to $4,500 compared to $14,000 to $20,000 in the U.S. – competing solely on price undersells the extraordinary level of clinical masterclass taking place. Istanbul has become a global hub for hair restoration because sheer procedure volume has allowed local practitioners to hone surgical precision to an art form.

Two techniques anchor the conversation: FUE (Follicular Unit Extraction), which uses a larger extraction tool well suited to restoring coverage across bigger areas; and DHI (Direct Hair Implantation), a more precise, higher-density method for detailed work. Reputable clinics such as Estenove are staffed by credentialed surgeons who evaluate each patient and recommend the right approach for their goals.

The power of PR, done right

This is ultimately a story about what strategic PR can do when it’s built upon authentic human truths. Nobody had to manufacture interest in male hair loss: The anxiety and silence were already there. What Baldstool did was give that anxiety a humanizing outlet, and in doing so, made an entire category of medical care feel normal instead of embarrassing.

I still get called the “Hair Transplant Girl,” and I wear that title proudly. Our role as a PR partner was never to manufacture a fleeting trend. It was to open the door for men to own their choices out loud – whether that means rocking a bald head proudly or boarding a flight to Istanbul with Estenove.