Dave Portnoy Hair Transplant – Barstool Sports Founder

Dave Portnoy, founder of Barstool Sports and better known to fans as “El Presidente,” underwent a hair transplant at Leonard Hair Transplant Associates in Newton, Massachusetts, to restore and maintain his trademark long “surfer hair.” The Boston native’s hair restoration journey has since become one of the most recognizable hair transplant stories connected to Barstool Sports.

Dave Portnoy did not keep his hair transplant a secret. Neither have many of the professional athletes and broadcasters who have chosen Leonard Hair Transplant Associates. Former NFL players Rob Ninkovich, Wes Welker and Stephen Gostkowski, NHL players David Backes, Sean Kuraly and Chris Wagner, and Boston Celtics broadcaster and 11-year NBA veteran Brian Scalabrine are among the recognizable names connected to the practice.

Dave Portnoy FUT Hair Transplant at Leonard Hair Transplant Associates

Portnoy’s gradual hair loss has provided fodder for the Barstool Sports blog and podcasts for several years, and in 2017 he decided to take action. Portnoy underwent a traditional Follicular Unit Transplantation (FUT), commonly known as the strip method, at Leonard Hair Transplant Associates in Newton, Massachusetts.

“David is an ideal candidate for hair transplant surgery,” Dr. Matthew Lopresti said. “He has good density in his donor area, which Dave refers to as ‘surfer hair.’ We were able to harvest from his donor area and transplant hair into his thinning crown.”

In typical fashion, Portnoy took to Twitter to reveal his post-surgery thoughts, saying, “big news, I had hair transplant surgery today. You’re not going to have that bald spot to kick around anymore.” Calling Leonard Hair Transplant Associates “the hair transplant surgeon to the stars,” Portnoy said the surgery was relatively painless and that he was able to watch the movie Braveheart during the procedure.

“There is absolutely no reason in today’s society why someone would not seek treatment if they are losing their hair,” Portnoy said. “I feel great about it. I can’t wait for this mane to grow. All I have to say is look out ladies. Grow Pres Grow!”

The transplanted hairs do not deliver the final result overnight. After a hair transplant, many of the transplanted hairs initially shed before new growth begins in the months that follow. The change is gradual, which is exactly the point. A successful hair transplant should look less like something suddenly happened and more like the hair simply came back.