Dr. Melanye Maclin, M.D.
~Dermatologist~
by Alisa Briggs
Copa Style Magazine's VIP Correspondent
Celebrity Dermatologist Melanye Maclin, M.D., a.k.a “Dr. Mac” founded Innovative Hair Technology, Inc. in September 1999. She created the research and product development company through determination based on her childhood medical interest in hair and skin. Dr. Maclin successfully developed effective advanced all natural hair and skin supplements, Bella Nutri for woman and Beau Nutri for men. Within her first year in business, Dr. Maclin was selected to be the Medical Director for HYPE HAIR and braids and beauty which she continued along with a ‘Ask Dr. Maclin’ monthly editorial. She also provides articles for Jamie Foster Brown’s Sister 2 Sister magazine and was featured on the national FOX news health segment, ABC News, Elle, Harper’s Bazar, Mademoiselle, Redbook, Health, Launch Pad, Black Elegance, Jolie by Vivica Fox, Washington Weddings and People En Espanol. Dr. Maclin’s launch into radio began in June 2007, as the resident Dermatologist for the nationally syndicated radio show, ‘The Steve Harvey Morning Show’. Her radio experience expanded in November 2007 with the ‘Dr. Maclin Show On Call’ airing on Radio One-WOL in the DC market. Dr. Maclin hit the silver screen as being selected as the hair expert Dermatologist for the Chris Rock documentary, ‘Good Hair’, released in theaters in October 2009.
Copa: What do you want our readers to know about your early journey?
Dr. Mac: I am home grown from Chicago, IL. I finished HS at age 16 yrs old and entered Howard University at 16 years old in a pre-med program. I pledged Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority… I want all the ladies to be influenced by the positive things we do in the community and I come from a family of AKA's! I graduated Magna Cum Laude from Howard University. I was Pre-Med as a Biology major and a Chemistry minor. Girl, I was .5 away from Suma Cum Laude! That was okay, because my brother came out of Howard with the 3.9 GPA that I was supposed to have gotten! Once I graduated, I attended Howard University Medical School.
Dr. Mac: I am home grown from Chicago, IL. I finished HS at age 16 yrs old and entered Howard University at 16 years old in a pre-med program. I pledged Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority… I want all the ladies to be influenced by the positive things we do in the community and I come from a family of AKA's! I graduated Magna Cum Laude from Howard University. I was Pre-Med as a Biology major and a Chemistry minor. Girl, I was .5 away from Suma Cum Laude! That was okay, because my brother came out of Howard with the 3.9 GPA that I was supposed to have gotten! Once I graduated, I attended Howard University Medical School.
Copa: When did you discover that you wanted to become a dermatologist?
Dr. Mac: I knew at the age of 14 I wanted to be a dermatologist. When I entered Howard University College of Medicine I acquired a dermatology mentor immediately which gave me extra guidance towards becoming a Dermatologist. I was happy when I was accepted into Washington Hospital Center Department of Dermatology. Also it's important to share that at age 14. I really wanted to be a hairstylist. However, because I came from a family of doctors…my mother was a pediatrician, my father was a dentist, and my brothers were doctors as were the majority of my family. My mother respectfully said, "We don’t do that in our family (becoming a hairstylist) your either going to get a doctor's degree like me or a dental degree like your dad." So I, said, "Ok, I will be a hair doctor."
Dr. Mac: I knew at the age of 14 I wanted to be a dermatologist. When I entered Howard University College of Medicine I acquired a dermatology mentor immediately which gave me extra guidance towards becoming a Dermatologist. I was happy when I was accepted into Washington Hospital Center Department of Dermatology. Also it's important to share that at age 14. I really wanted to be a hairstylist. However, because I came from a family of doctors…my mother was a pediatrician, my father was a dentist, and my brothers were doctors as were the majority of my family. My mother respectfully said, "We don’t do that in our family (becoming a hairstylist) your either going to get a doctor's degree like me or a dental degree like your dad." So I, said, "Ok, I will be a hair doctor."
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Copa: So Dr. Mac, When did you get the call for success and when did you realize that door opened for you?
Dr. Mac: I was working toward branding a product called Viviscal that I helped to bring on from Europe. I had an opportunity to do a lot of media work through their public relations company. They naturally connected me with magazines which is how I connected with HYPE HAIR and became medical director. They had been trying to get into the African American hair market and HYPE HAIR was the largest African American hair magazine. The editor-in-chief was saying no we’re not going to advertise your European based hair supplement to our African American population. So Viviscal told the editor that they had an African American dermatologist that had researched and endorsed the product that’s when they said have her to call me. So I called her and in talking I found out she was one of my sorors in AKA, it turned into a 3 hr conversation. She found out my mission of educating folks that couldn’t get to a dermatologist or get help from a hairstylist. So she asked me for a write up about me, the product, and all that info, by Christmas of 1999 all that info hit HYPE HAIR and my life changed. That started my whole business. I had more exposure to other magazines to write for…but the BIG call Alisa was not just having folks to read what I had to say but I prayed for the day when folks could hear what I had to say. Copa: What happened next?
Dr. Mac: I got a call in January 2007, I remember that night like it was yesterday. My phone rang and it was a girl friend that said, she got Steve Harvey’s barber on the phone and the barber is interested in starting his own shampoo and hair conditioner line and I immediately told him that you could help. She introduced me to his barber James Thomas, and we hit it off like two peas in a pod. We established a great relationship over the next 2 months. He talked to Steve Harvey about me and told me they would be coming to DC for an event and just like James promised he introduced me to Steve. He invited my husband and I to have dinner with he and Steve at the Grand Hyatt Hotel. Within the first 5 minutes of talking to Steve, he said, "Where did you come from?" I was humbled by what he was saying. He said that I was educated, you got these degrees, and came from a family that got these degrees as well, also that I was fashionable and pretty (laughing). I was very impressed and thanked him. He told my husband Gary, "Man I don’t mean no disrespect but they don’t make people like this often! I guess I never thought any different because I come from a family that taught that you present yourself in a certain way. Always be prepared to meet your public everyday after your wake up. You never know who is looking at you." We had a great dinner. As a matter of fact, I picked up the tab! (laughter) It was James, his body guard Boom, Steve and my husband and I. The waiter came around and I said I will take that. I knew that’s what I was supposed to do. I felt like Steve was always in the position where people always expected him to pick up the bill. I thought to myself, I’m doing okay for myself, I don’t care what it cost, I’m going to get the bill. Steve looked like What! I think that threw him. |
Copa: Interesting, please continue.
Dr. Mac: Fast forward that Sunday, James his barber called telling me that Steve wanted me to meet Rushion McDonald. Well Rushion McDonald is the man that is over everything Steve does. Nothing gets to Steve unless it goes through Rushion McDonald. So James says, "Doc are you going to church?" "Will you be available?" I said, "I will be happy to meet her." James said, "Oh no that’s a guy." "You can’t mess up his name, Doc he is over everything Steve does." "I said oh shoot! (laughter)." "Y’all could come to the house today and we could have brunch ready." So we called a restaurant, ordered a bunch of stuff and my husband went downtown DC to pick up Rushion, James and the body guard. So for 3 hours Rushion grilled me in my home with questions. 
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Dr. Maclin with Ray Lewis and Steve Harvey
Copa: What did Rushion wish to know?
Dr. Mac: He wanted to know my marketing plan and where did I want to go in my life. Twenty-Four hours later I got a call and I was told they wanted to interview me at WBLS in New York.
Dr. Mac: He wanted to know my marketing plan and where did I want to go in my life. Twenty-Four hours later I got a call and I was told they wanted to interview me at WBLS in New York.
Copa: So you being prepared when the opportunity arose was the key?
Dr. Mac: Alisa the key is, if you have worked hard enough for your dream, then there’s nothing someone can ask you to do that you shouldn’t be able to complete. If its with integrity and morals. When I got to the radio studio, Steve started off reading my bio on air. I thought I was being interviewed. I was nervous! I thought, why is he reading my bio. He told his listeners that he brought his girl Dr. Mac here to start answering his questions. He gave the call in number and the phones blew up. That was June 2007. He said, "Doc that was awesome." "I have to have you as part of my team, would you accept?" I was like, "OMG, absolutely, my dream has been fulfilled." Not only could people hear me but millions of people could hear me nationally. I got in the cab with my husband and Iiterally cried all the way back to the hotel room. That call lead to my dream. You always have to be on point because you never know when that call may manifest into something. So when your working toward your dream you have to keep pushing. I kept doing the show every Monday in New York. It got to the point where Steve called WHUR and they had a segment for me that I could do because it was more convenient. I would get a thousand emails when I got off air with Steve.
Dr. Mac: Alisa the key is, if you have worked hard enough for your dream, then there’s nothing someone can ask you to do that you shouldn’t be able to complete. If its with integrity and morals. When I got to the radio studio, Steve started off reading my bio on air. I thought I was being interviewed. I was nervous! I thought, why is he reading my bio. He told his listeners that he brought his girl Dr. Mac here to start answering his questions. He gave the call in number and the phones blew up. That was June 2007. He said, "Doc that was awesome." "I have to have you as part of my team, would you accept?" I was like, "OMG, absolutely, my dream has been fulfilled." Not only could people hear me but millions of people could hear me nationally. I got in the cab with my husband and Iiterally cried all the way back to the hotel room. That call lead to my dream. You always have to be on point because you never know when that call may manifest into something. So when your working toward your dream you have to keep pushing. I kept doing the show every Monday in New York. It got to the point where Steve called WHUR and they had a segment for me that I could do because it was more convenient. I would get a thousand emails when I got off air with Steve.
Copa: I see that because that door opened you received another call for success. We also see that you were selected to be in Chris Rock's documentary "Good Hair."
Dr. Mac: That was the other call that also had me with another set of tears. I was literally on the train coming back from being on "The Steve Harvey Show." My mother was answering my calls that day. She called me while I was on the train and she said Melanye, you got a call from HBO. I called them and it was the producer working on the film "Good Hair." She went on to say they had interviewed tons of dermatologists for the film. We had stopped the interviewing process but Chris heard you on Steve today. Chris said, "We got to interview this lady!" The producer said they were ready to make their decision until Chris heard me. So they extended one more interview to me! The timing of him listening to the topic I was discussing was just what he needed to hear. I sat on the phone with the producer for 3 hours when I arrived home. The producer learned everything about me from soup to nuts. When that call came, I had done so much in media, my products were then on the market, the visceral opportunity and everything I had done along the way was shared with the producer. They said, "Tag your it." "We want you to film, can you get to New York!" The rest is history.
Dr. Mac: That was the other call that also had me with another set of tears. I was literally on the train coming back from being on "The Steve Harvey Show." My mother was answering my calls that day. She called me while I was on the train and she said Melanye, you got a call from HBO. I called them and it was the producer working on the film "Good Hair." She went on to say they had interviewed tons of dermatologists for the film. We had stopped the interviewing process but Chris heard you on Steve today. Chris said, "We got to interview this lady!" The producer said they were ready to make their decision until Chris heard me. So they extended one more interview to me! The timing of him listening to the topic I was discussing was just what he needed to hear. I sat on the phone with the producer for 3 hours when I arrived home. The producer learned everything about me from soup to nuts. When that call came, I had done so much in media, my products were then on the market, the visceral opportunity and everything I had done along the way was shared with the producer. They said, "Tag your it." "We want you to film, can you get to New York!" The rest is history.
Copa: What did you learn from all of this?
Dr. Mac: Here I worked hard thinking that I just wanted to be that dermatologist that bridged the gap to be able to educate folks in print so they could read some educational information to then eventually people seeing and hearing what I have to say but I never thought I would go past the television set. I couldn’t believe that I actually made it to the silver screen. I still have to pinch myself.
Dr. Mac: Here I worked hard thinking that I just wanted to be that dermatologist that bridged the gap to be able to educate folks in print so they could read some educational information to then eventually people seeing and hearing what I have to say but I never thought I would go past the television set. I couldn’t believe that I actually made it to the silver screen. I still have to pinch myself.
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Copa: We find that lot’s of millennials are entrepreneurship driven. What’s your advice to them?
Dr. Mac: Only God knows where he wants to take you and you could never discount your dream because he has a bigger plan for you. I experienced it. I didn’t expect that I would have that opportunity. My advise is to be very concrete. Dive deeply. What is your niche? Entrepreneurship is very broad and people use the term very loosely. Be very specific. I knew I wanted to be a Dermatologist but I was very specific in specializing in skin and hair supplements. I was told that the more specific you can be in the industry you are working in or want to be the more sought after you will be. Millennials really zone in on that niche and go deeper to make you different then then the next person. Stick to it and your bound to be successful. |
~Copa