Steve Kinyon always dreamed of sporting long, luscious locks like Thor — Marvel’s hair-and-hammer-swinging god of thunder, played by Chris Hemsworth.
But rather than revering him as a fictional deity, Kinyon’s chums back in high school crowned him the “balding virgin,” owing to his early signs of male-pattern baldness.
Years after being forced to endure their heckling, the 34-year-old decided to do something about it. But instead of seeking revenge, he got on a plane and flew to Turkey — for a $5,000 hair transplant.
“I’m pretty confident,” Kinyon, a married dad of two, tells The Post. “But having longer, fuller hair adds an extra boost.”
The tress-seeking traveler is one in a growing army of guys opting for both invasive and noninvasive cosmetic hair restoration treatments — in the battle against chrome domes.
It’s a condition that affects 85% of men by age 50, according to the American Hair Loss Association. Two-thirds of US gents experience noticeable shedding by age 35 — while 25% of fellas say so long to their strands before age 21.
Now, they’re going the distance to reclaim waning manes — employing everything from do-it-yourself techniques, such as derma-stamping, to robotic revamping systems.
Rita Linkner, a double-board certified dermatologist on the Upper East Side, told The Post that the pate plague has many causes — but lots of innovative new solutions, too.
“When it comes to hair loss,” she continued, “folks should throw the kitchen sink at it to save and restore those healthy follicles.”
Here are some of the top hacks men are using to get their hair back.
Derma stamping in style
With enviable height and great bone structure on his side, rising model Ashten Barnes always had a look the camera loved.
But when social media critics got a look at his receding hairline — namely thinning near his temples — the chiseled looker felt compelled to take matters into his own hands.
“People left comments like, ‘Whoa, buddy, you better start planning a trip to Turkey,’” the twentysomething Downtown Brooklyn resident told The Post. “In early 2023, I started microneedling with a derma stamp.”
The budget-friendly DIY tool features a stationary cartridge with a bed of tiny needles that, when applied to balding spots, create superficial punctures in the scalp.
In response to the pokes, the body increases blood flow to the triggered areas, stimulating collagen production to promote hair growth, per the Cleveland Clinic.
Rising as a trendy, inexpensive alternative to surgical solutions, Barnes snagged his for just $25 via the Mane Solution.
He uses the device once per week and applies droplets of topical minoxidil (also known as Rogaine) and rosemary oils to his scalp to achieve the best bang for his buck.
It’s a formula that’s paying off in spades for Barnes and derma-stampers worldwide.
In fact, researchers from the Beijing University of Chinese Medicine found that a combination of microneedling and minoxidil “showed a significant increase in hair count” across 472 participants in a March 2024 study.
Experts like Linkner, though, warn that dermastamping could cause bleeding or introduce bacteria and fungus into the scalp.
But Barnes has been lucky enough to only experience benefits.
“My confidence has skyrocketed,” he gushed. “I’m improving my health and self-image and my hair is looking majestic.”
PRP me, please!
Big Apple-dwelling image consultant Turner Allen always wants to put his best foot forward — which, for him, means preventing his hairline from moving back.
So, after undergoing a $7,000 hair transplant in Miami, the Brooklyn resident placed his head in the hands of the restoration experts at Noho-based med spa Great Many — where Allen keeps his tuft on track with Platelet-Rich Plasma jabs.
“For PRP, they extract your blood, spin it [in a centrifuge] to separate the platelet-rich plasma, and reinject it into your scalp to facilitate growth and ensure your follicles are strong and active,” the 32-year-old explained.
Michael Pollak and Steve Klebanow, the co-founders of Great Many, which launched in June 2024, said PRP has risen as their studio’s “hero” anti-baldness technique.
“It’s like an all-natural fertilizer for your scalp,” Pollak told The Post. Both he and Klebanow rely on the nonsurgical remedy to touch up their own tops.
For top-notch locks, clients are encouraged to undergo three sessions over a period of three months at $495 per treatment.
“The platelets in our blood have growth factors that cause healing,” said Pollack. “And when we apply [those platelets] to other places in the body, in that concentrated format, we can induce growth.”
Klebanow agreed, adding that patrons typically experience “densification and thickening” within six to nine months of treatment.
And Allen is living proof.
“My hair is in great shape and I feel confident,” said the professional stylist, noting the uptick in Gotham guys who’ve recently begun to spring for similar cosmetic pick-me-ups.
“Men in NYC aren’t hiding in our homes or cars,” Allen said. “When we’re out on the street, we want to feel good about how we look.”
Turkey transplant tresses
For Kinyon, traveling to Istanbul for 4,000 grafts of hair implants was a no-brainer.
“Some of my friends had previously gone and had great experiences,” said the Utah software salesman. “And it was super affordable.”
He made the over 6,200-mile journey on Feb. 7, shelling out a small fortune ($5,000 to be exact) for the surgery, plus lodging, ground transportation and an English-speaking translator, at the TikTok-famous Now Hair Time clinic.
During the procedure, specialists garner healthy follicles from a donor area — often located in the back of the head — and embed them into balding areas.
Patients’ scalps are numbed prior to the op, which can take up to 12 hours depending on how much hair needs to be transplanted.
For Kinyon, who’s still recovering and likely won’t see the full results for several months, his six-hour surgery was ouch-free.
Jonathan Intriago, 29, of Queens, was similarly pleased with his experience at Turkey’s Now Hair Time in 2023 — even after the “painful” anesthesia shots, he told The Post.
Like Kinyon, the millennial spent under $5,000 for 3,200 grafts — though his procedure only lasted four hours.
“You’re just waiting for the surgery to be over and the recovery process to begin,” recalled Intriago, a content creator whose bouncy curls are now the mane attraction in his digital posts.
“I don’t have any regrets,” he continued — hailing hair regrowth treatments man’s best cosmetic friend.
“It’s like Botox — nobody wants to admit they need Botox. But they get it to look and feel better,” he said. “If guys have to get transplants too, why not?”
The bot-tician is ready for you
Rather than allowing nature to take its course, some fearless NYC fellas are salvaging their strands with help from non-human hands — at a tony Park Avenue clinic.
Meet ARTAS iX — a robot in the employ of board-certified plastic surgeon Michael Wolfeld. The AI-enabled machine’s job is to identify the best grafts for Follicular Unit Extraction transplants — before harvesting strands by the thousands and depositing them where they’re most needed.
“Patients chose the robotic system because they want great quality grafts and great outcomes,” the hair restoration specialist told The Post of the minimally invasive, virtually painless procedure that can take up to 10 hours.
With its advanced AI algorithms, Wolfled said the machine “remembers” the depth of a client’s first hair follicle extraction, which it replicates throughout the procedure for optimal results.
During recovery, patients may experience minor discomfort. But they can expect to see natural results within 10 days of treatment.
The artificially intelligent glow-up ranges in price from $9,000 to $16,000.
Hair-raising cost notwithstanding, when it comes to permanent restoration, Wolfeld says that “the robotic system is really unmatched.”
But however they’re going after the problem, the doc admitted he’s just glad that men across the boroughs — and the country — are now investing in self-care through haircare.
“There’s no more stigma,” Wolfeld said. “Having a head of hair gives men a confidence boost that can make a huge difference in their personal, social and professional lives.”
