HRP™ was founded by Aesthetic Physician Dr Jonathan Hopkirk. Dr Hopkirk lost his hair in his late twenties and journeyed through that struggle alone. After trying nearly every treatment option available and being at the brink of getting a hair transplant, he was desperate to find a better and less extreme way of regaining his hair that didn’t come with all the side effects and downtime. He teamed up with fellow hair loss sufferers and respected subject matter experts Associate Professor of Dermatology Dr Michael Freeman, Dr Nik Davies and people expert Paul Swain to establish an effective and uniquely adaptable, non-invasive solution for hair restoration. From here, the Hair Restoration Protocol (HRP™) was born and is now helping people across numerous doctor and nurse-led locations in Australia.

The HRP™ utilises the benefits of over 100 different ingredients in a customised serum in conjunction with the hair-stimulating properties of micro-needling. There are two phases of the HRP™ process: the initial six-week ‘Regain Phase’, which is essentially a boot camp for your hair, and then the subsequent ‘Retain Phase’, which continues to improve on the initial results achieved and halt the loss.

HRP™ is split into two phases: The initial ‘Regain Phase’ followed by the ongoing ‘Retain Phase’

Regain Phase: First 2 Months

The first step is to have an online telehealth consultation with Dr Jonathan Hopkirk. Dr Hopkirk will take you through a hair loss history to establish the best treatment approach and ingredients, ensuring the underlying cause of hair loss is addressed. Once the consultation has taken place, Dr Hopkirk will send confirmation to the clinic, and they will book you in directly on the clinic platform over the phone.  The first phase of the treatment program then requires you to complete 6 x 30-minute treatments with our nurse in the clinic, each one week apart. In this treatment, your hair will benefit from hand-selected, evidence-backed ingredients in combination with microneedling. This part of the process is designed to halt the loss, recruit dormant hair follicles back into the hair growth cycle so they can grow again, reduce inflammation of the scalp, and thicken the diameter of the hair fibres themselves.

Retain Phase: Ongoing 

After the 6-week treatment course, you continue to build further results by utilising a customised prescription-based hair serum uniquely designed for you as discussed with our prescribing doctor. The frequency at which you use this serum depends on your hair loss type and the advice set out by the doctor. We will then see you every four months for an HRP™ booster and assess the maintenance phase's progress.

HRP™ can have hair restoration benefits for men, women, and other, who suffer from the following forms of hair loss:

- Androgenic Alopecia (male or female pattern balding, which is usually genetic),

- Telogen Effluvium (also known as shock loss) caused by stress, which can be caused mentally and emotionally or brought on by illness such as COVID-19

- Postpartum hair loss (loss of hair after having a baby, which is a form of Telogen Effluvium)

- Traction Alopecia, which is caused when there is stress to the follicle caused by pulling on the hair, seen when patients wear their hair up in tight ponytails or strained due to extensions

- Menopause-induced hair loss caused by the physiological changes exerted on the body after going through menopause

Ultimately, this treatment is a novel therapy for people with mild-moderate hair loss.

The treatment generally takes approximately 30 minutes. It is important to note that it will always be performed at a pace proportionate to the patient's comfort levels.

The treatment is very comfortable with minimal pain and no recovery time. The treatment itself feels like a light scratch or abrasion as it is only very surface deep into the scalp and does not produce any bleeding or bruising. For perspective, the microneedling device is only set to a depth of 0.6mm, whereas PRP is often 2-4mm deep with individual 27g needle injections.

Because the treatment is so superficial, there is no recovery time post-treatment. The treatment area will likely be slightly red, settling within minutes – hours; however, no bruising is expected.

Some patients can see results as early as two months into the treatment course as existing hair on the scalp thickens and hair loss slows. However, most patients require a full three to six months after starting the treatment protocol to appreciate noticeable results. The results continue to improve with the home maintenance protocol, which is paramount in ensuring the best possible results are achieved. Reviews and a top-up booster HRP™ treatment are recommended at 4-month intervals. For hair loss programs of any sort, including HRP™, it is the consensus that patients must commit to the program diligently, as set out by the guiding professionals, for at least 12 months to see the results.

Any hair loss treatments require ongoing maintenance; however, we have designed the maintenance program to be very simple to improve compliance. For best results, as discussed with our prescribing doctor, the home restoration program should be followed in conjunction with a clinical booster treatment every four months in the clinic. Every patient begins their journey at different stages of hair loss, and our commitment is to support each individual in reaching new levels of growth.

The initial consultation will be hosted via telehealth with our prescribing doctors so you can enjoy the benefits of remote consulting from the comfort of your preferred private location/home. The HRP™ procedure is then carried out by one of our registered nurses with ongoing reviews with our prescribing doctor.

Keeping the HRP serum on the scalp for 24 hours of treatment in the clinic is recommended. If this is not feasible, then at least delaying washing the scalp until the following morning is ideal. Concerning the ongoing home serum that is used, it is recommended that for best results, this is applied in the evening and left on overnight, where you can wash it off in the morning, or alternatively, it can be applied it in the morning and washed off in the evening – either is fine.

Like with any hair restoration treatment, if there is a chronic underlying cause of hair loss, such as male and female pattern hair loss and menopause-induced hair loss, treatment requirements are ongoing. Therefore, if a patient ceases the hair restoration treatment, it is generally expected that any hair restored during that period will regress, typically shedding, after three months of treatment cessation. If the hair loss is due to surgery, weight loss, COVID-19, stress, or postpartum-induced Telogen Effluvium (shedding), then once the patient recovers the hair, ongoing maintenance is not often required, provided the cause of loss is also controlled. 

Yes this is fine, provided its done outside of the 48hr period in which the HRP™ treatment was performed in clinic.

It is recommended that single HRP™ top-up booster treatments be scheduled every four months for best results and to review the progress of the home maintenance program.