10 minute read
WHEN TWO WORLDS COLLIDE!!
BY REX A.C. SILVER
When Dr Jonathan Hopkirk entered Maria Dillon's Grand Royal Barber Shop in Liverpool Street Darlinghurst for a haircut, he got more than he was expecting. It was soon discovered that they both shared an interest in the treatments available for men who were balding or thinning with, preferably, non-evasive techniques over surgical.
They both share a common passion for improving the mental health of men who suffer from the adverse psychological effects of losing their hair, low self-esteem, confidence issues and more.
That bond has led them to start working in tandem, and the results speak for themselves.Not just in terms of the physical and visual changes the treatments are having on their clients on the outer…. the improvements the ‘inner man’ is experiencing are probably even more remarkable.
Maria, what got you interested in hair loss conditions and solutions and treatments for these conditions?
When my clients started asking me to leave their hair a little longer around the hairline or around the crown, I felt it was time to research what was out there on the market for hair restoration and what worked and what didn’t. Some of my clients were already having success with microdoses of Proscar, a drug prescribed for prostate cancer.
How important is it do you think that barbers have a general knowledge of hair loss and the solutions available?
I think if you call yourself a professional barber and have your client’s best interest at heart, then it’s essential to be able to identify early signs of hair loss and have some level of general knowledge and what initial steps can be taken by clients on how to keep their scalp and hair follicles healthy.
If you, as a Barber, want to initiate the conversation of hair loss, this can be a touchy subject to raise. Some clients might feel embarrassed, so for me, it’s very important to be armed with correct information on what hair loss solutions are available, how they work, how long it takes and if there are any known side effects.
Can you tell us how you met Dr Jonathan, learned about his techniques, and decided to incorporate him into your business?
Jonathan was a first-time customer of my barbershop and was my last client of the day. During our consultation, Jonathan pointed out he had micro pigmentation on his scalp to thicken the appearance of his hair. I was stunned at how good it looked.
We started discussing why he had it done, and I asked many questions regarding the process. We spent his entire appointment discussing hair restoration treatments, from Proscar to Finasteride to PRP injections to Turkey transplants and everything in between.
I think it’s fair to say we found each other had a mutual passion for finding the best non-invasive hair loss solutions for our clients and patients.
Jonathan spoke about his background in medicine, that he was finalising a new treatment called Hair Restoration Protocol, and that he was looking for a place to practice. It so happened that the 1st-floor level of my Darlinghurst barbershop was vacant and up for lease, so it seemed a perfect solution for me, the barber looking for a solution for my client’s hair loss & the Dr who had found the solution.
Dr Jonathan and I now work in unison with me recommending my clients who are ready for some non-invasive medical help on their hair loss journey; it starts with a consultation by Jonathan followed by 6 treatments, then a follow-up with Jonathan at 14 weeks.
In the interim, at my client’s hair appointments, I get to see the progress of new hair regrowth and report back to Jonathan.
We have seen excellent results in our clients’ hair regrowth in as little as 6 weeks and 4 months in, and I can give my clients hairstyles they never thought possible, Dr Jonathan included!
Dr Jonathan, please tell us in broad terms about yourself, your background and why you chose to specialise in this area.
I have been a cosmetic doctor since 2016 when I originally started my own cosmetic injectable business. Ironically, back then I walked the streets knocking on barber stores and hair salon doors to see if they would refer customers to me who may be interested in anti-ageing treatments.
I then moved into a more prominent company (Laser Clinics Australia) to gain a better experience. I managed to grow with the company as it grew nationally and then internationally to over 200 clinics. I was offered the medical director role before its global expansion in 2018, then, I became global medical director in early 2019, managing about 520 doctors, nurses, and dentists across seven countries.
The focus was always on the skin, cosmetic injectables and hair; however, the focus was on removing hair. I surreptitiously had an eye out at global conferences on innovations and technologies that could also help support hair growth as I was losing mine at a rapid pace from the stress of the role, especially navigating the company through a global pandemic!
I was still working with patients privately as a cosmetic doctor during my time with Laser Clinics, which allowed me to trial new treatments and research exciting new approaches to things that I had been taught by other doctors from around the globe. During this time, I performed treatments like PRP for hair loss and supported patients with the usual medications like Minoxidil, but I was never overwhelmed by the results.
After my hair loss got to a point where nothing was helping it, I was desperate to find or build a better solution. So, I reached out to a few well-renowned hair doctors I had met at conferences abroad and formed a local medical advisory board in Australia with an Associate Professor of Dermatology (Dr Michael Freeman) and a cosmetic and hair doctor (Dr Nik Davies).
The mission was to review all the available non-invasive treatment options and simply do better. The key criteria were to design a protocol that was low risk, highly efficacious and didn’t come with any significant downtime or burden to the patient whilst, of course, achieving great results.
We hand-chose various ingredients from other already proven protocols and additionally produced a compounded serum locally. Then, we went to work doing split-head consumer trials in the Professor’s clinic on the Gold Coast. The results of our trials were really promising (including on ourselves).
So, from there, we rolled out our Hair Restoration Protocol (HRP) in our respective clinic spaces across Gold Coast, Central Coast and Sydney. From there, our company, ‘Levels Of You,’ was born, as our mission is simply to help people reach new levels of confidence within themselves.
Let’s dig a little deeper, and break it down further for our readers.
Firstly, the ingredient list doesn’t include stem cells, but some of the ingredients can act like parts of stem cells in that they support cell-cell signalling, which we know is immensely important when it comes to hair growth. There are no live cells, and everything we use is evidence-backed and shown to be safe across wide population bases across the globe.
Our ingredient list has over 90 different types of amino acids, vitamins, peptides, and growth factors. Our goal was to create a super-ingredient list, so to speak, where all the ingredients were used in one single protocol.
The ingredients, in short, are proven to prolong the growth phase of the hair growth cycle, reduce the number of hairs entering the telogen phase (shedding phase), recruit some of the dormant follicles that are no longer producing hair and, interestingly in some patients, to re-pigment the hair through improved melanocyte function.
Another key benefit we see is the reduction in inflammation of the scalp, so patients who have had chronic dandruff-like issues have seen some improvements in the health of their scalp. The protocol is split into three phases (or levels as we like to refer to it); the first 2-month phase is in the clinic with one treatment each week for six weeks, and this is the ‘Regain’ phase.
The second is the 2-8 month ‘Rebuild’ phase with a tailored home maintenance program for the patient to carry out, which takes 2 minutes/day before going to bed each night. Finally, the ‘Retain’ phase is the final phase and is an ongoing simple adaptation of the two initial phases to ensure ongoing retention and enjoyment of the previously achieved results.
The in-clinic treatment itself combines the benefits of a 15–20-minute micro-needling treatment to the scalp first, followed by topical application of the serum to the scalp. The treatment is suitable for patients of all ages with mild to moderate hair loss that is not due to autoimmune conditions or scarring alopecia.
It’s also important to note that the patients who have the best results are those who start when there is more hair already on the head, as it thickens up the existing hair fibres, as well as prolongs how long they remain on the head. As far as a timeline goes concerning seeing results, prompt responders are seeing results as early as two months. Still, we always set the expectation that between three to six months is when positive changes are mostly appreciated.
Like anything in medicine, this process needs to start with a full review of the patient’s medical and hair loss history in a consultation with me (or one of our other doctors in the other locations). Patients can also elect to do the consultation online if they prefer.
Finally, can you tell us your experiences in witnessing the improvement of your client’s mental health as they see themselves experiencing changes in their appearance with the success of the treatment?
This is what drives me to offer these treatments, as having gone through the hair loss journey myself, I know exactly what it’s like not to want to leave the house on account of your worsening hairline. I have patients who have suffered hair loss due to myriad different reasons, including stress, COVID-induced, androgenic alopecia, and chemical-induced hair loss. One thing all these patients have in common is that it impacts their confidence daily.
A patient recently came to me after going through chemo-induced hair loss years ago; however, after they recovered, their hair did not grow back as thick. After going through the initial ‘Regain’ phase of the hair restoration protocol, his hair has grown to become so much thicker and darker, and his confidence is beaming. Daily I get to see people’s confidence build, as ultimately, we are treating the hair, but what we are really treating is the person behind the scalp, and that is incredibly powerful.
Furthermore, we see the benefits of patients choosing to come off hair loss medications that have given them side effects which further worsens their confidence. It then becomes an added bonus that they can grow their confidence back through their scalp without suffering confidence blows in other departments. One thing I’ve learnt is just how important hair is to men, and to be able to help men go to new levels of confidence is a real privilege.
