Ever thought about having Angelina Jolie eyelashes? Well, put away the glue and false lashes you bought at CVS and head to your local plastic surgeon's office instead. The FDA has approved Latisse, the first and only medical treatment scientifically proven to enhance eyelash prominence. Here are some facts:
1. An FDA-approved study found significant increases in eyelash length, thickness, and darkness when compared to placebo.
2. The prescription-strength product was initially used as a treatment for glaucoma, but people using it found that their eyelashes became enhanced while on the medication.
3. It's applied once a day to the upper eyelashes.
4. Results can be expected by 8 weeks, with maximal results usually present at 16 weeks.
5. When Latisse is discontinued, the changes appear to recede within a couple months.
6. Very few side effects have been reported.
7. Latisse is manufactured and sold by Allergan, the makers of Botox.
8. None of the study participants ended up looking like Tammy Fay Baker, although Greta Garbo is a possibility. (jk)
Although Latisse has been FDA approved, it won't be in physicians' offices until at least the end of the month. The cost of the product has not yet been released, to my knowledge. Latisse is estimated to bring in up to $500 million in peak sales, so this one is a biggie. Plastic surgeons have not yet been trained in how to use this product, but I've made arrangements to be one of the first to "test drive" it (although not on myself...)
Photo above is a before and after of an actual Latisse patient, courtesy of Allergan.
Thanks for reading.
Michigan-based Plastic Surgeon
Anthony Youn, M.D.:
Will Latisse also work for eyebrow growth as well?
ReplyDeleteAny particular reason her eyebrows look darker in the after picture?
ReplyDeleteI read that Latisse could darker the area to which it was applied but also could darker eye color during use? Any truth to that? I want long lush eye lashes but don't want to sacrifice my baby blues.
ReplyDeleteIf this stuff works on eyelashes, do you suppose it might work on other hair? Could it help baldness and/or thinning hair on the scalp?
ReplyDeleteLatisse is only FDA approved for application on the upper eyelid lashes, so I wouldn't consider using it on other areas without the recommendation of a reputable plastic surgeon.
ReplyDeleteOK, thank you Dr. Youn.
ReplyDelete~Anonymous @ 5:15 PM
I wonder if it will work for everyone (age, race, eye lash color etc.). i doubt this will be cheap, but if it was, i would definitely buy it. but, there are so much more important things to buy as a college student...like toilet paper and food.
ReplyDeleteI am a plastic surgeon in Ventura, California, where another eyelash enhancer Revitalash was born. Revitalash was developed by a Ventura ophthalmologist, who used (allegedly illegally) a glaucoma drug (bimatoprost, marketed as "Lumigan") as the active ingredient. The results have been incredible--longer, thicker, darker eyelashes in at least 80% of users.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, my local colleague has been forced to discontinue the use of bimatoprost in Revitalash, because the patent is held by the Allergan Corporation. Allergan has dluted their own drug bimatoprost/Lumigan to create Latisse. So, I suspect that if patients already like Revitalash, they will like Latisse.
Even though Revitalash contained a regulated drug, the product was actually sold in just about every hair salon in my county. The public surely appreciated this convenience, but I am not certain whether public safety was served. The marketing and dispensation of Latisse by physicians is certainly more conservative and probably more safe.
By the way, Revitalash (and other products such as Marini Lash) will still be sold at the local salons. However, they now have new formulations--without bimatoprost. Hence, the new stuff will no longer work. If patients want efficacy, they'll have to switch to Latisse from a doctor.
Oh, and I almost forgot, a few friends did try the old Revitalash (containing bimatoprost) on their scalps, and the results were promising. I think that the hair follicles did appear thicker. I don't want to stake my reputation on bimatoprost as the latest and greatest hair tonic, but it's certainly worth serious study.
To me the before and after pictures look like the same photo, with one having been retouched.
ReplyDeletehas anyone actually used latisse yet? I have my consultation with Dr Amiya Prasad today, this will be my chance to get a prescription for latisse.
ReplyDeleteI have had good success with Latisse so far. It is the same drug that has been used for years to treat glaucoma. That’s where they came up with the idea. The advantage of Latisse over extension is that it is your real lashes. Since this product is new it will be interesting to see how often application is needed once the full effect has occurred. Clear View Eye Care
ReplyDeleteI would like to know if they use Latisse in any leave-in conditioners hair products, for the hair on the top of your head.
ReplyDeleteI agree that the before and after photos are identical, with one or both having been retouched. Why ? The eyebrows. Nobody's eyebrow hairs are in exactly the same positions from day to day, and yet miraculously this woman's are ? No way.
ReplyDeleteBut I do believe that Latisse IS effective. There are interesting photos on the Latisse web site. But in every set, the before photos looks better than the afters. In the after photos, the lashes look too shaggy and strange and many of the individual lashes appear to be misdirected. I don't want to look like I've got fur growing out of my eyelids !
Hmmm! I also want to point out that not only do both photos show the exact placement of each hair on the brows but consider this... This products takes weeks at the least to work so look at the images again ANC pay close attention to the background... How is it possible that following weeks of treatment that the "after" photo was taken in the exact same spot! What are the odds????
ReplyDeleteAs a consumer this kinda thing drives me insane. Just make the little extra effort to prove that your product does indeed work and maybe just maybe you will be taken a little more seriously.
Can Reverse-Latisse be used for nose hair?
ReplyDelete