Donald Trump’s Costly Hair Care Journey Reveals Transplants and Treatments

President-elect Donald Trump’s hair has been a long-standing topic of fascination and controversy, with reports shedding light on the extreme lengths he’s gone to maintain his signature blonde style. From tax-deductible hairstyling expenses to hair transplants, Trump’s hair care history reveals a hefty financial and personal investment.

In 2020, The New York Times reported that Trump spent over $70,000 on hairstyling during his time hosting The Apprentice. Financial experts questioned the legality of Trump claiming these expenses as tax deductions. However, his efforts to perfect his hair went far beyond standard salon visits. Recently, celebrity plastic surgeon Dr. Gary Motykie revealed that Trump has spent an estimated $160,000 on hair transplants.

According to the Daily Mail, Motykie outlined the variety of treatments Trump likely underwent, including the flap method and hairline advancement surgeries. “I think that throughout the years we can see evidence of different types of [hair] surgeries,” said Dr. Motykie. “Early on, you can see signs of hairline raising — where the hairline is moved forward to reduce the appearance of a receding hairline or a large forehead.”

He added that Trump’s distinctive combover might be concealing older flap procedures, which involve moving hair-covered scalp sections to address bald spots. New York City plastic surgeon Dr. Gary Linkov speculated on his YouTube channel that Trump underwent at least five hair transplant procedures to maintain his look.

Ivana Trump, his late ex-wife, claimed in their 1990 divorce settlement that Trump was irritable after a scalp reduction procedure, though Trump never confirmed the allegations. Trump’s hair loss and restoration journey even inspired scenes in the 2024 biographical film The Apprentice. Prosthetics artist Sean Sansom recreated a hair transplant operation for the movie, explaining, “We designed a fake scalp with punched-in hairs and rigged it for a surgical scene with bloodlines.”

In a 2017 interview with The New York Times, Trump’s longtime doctor, Dr. Harold N. Bornstein, revealed that Trump takes finasteride, a medication commonly used to treat male-pattern baldness. The drug, marketed as Propecia, is known to promote hair growth while reducing PSA levels.

Trump’s intricate and costly efforts to maintain his iconic hairstyle reflect not only his image-conscious persona but also the lengths he has gone to preserve a key element of his public identity.