Fighting the Aging Eyelash

Did you know that as we grow older, our eyelashes also undergo changes
associated with the aging process? They become shorter, thinner, lighter,
and less dense. I’ve talked about ways to improve your eyelashes before on
Studio 5, from various over-the-counter eyelash products to eyelash
extensions to Latisse. Now we know more than ever how to most effectively
reverse this natural eyelash aging process, and Latisse has become my go-to
product when helping women wanting to approve the appearance of their
lashes, and most aggressively address this component of facial aging.

I like Latisse because it addresses all aspects of the aging eyelash. It grows
eyelashes significantly longer. Only 40% of your eyelash follicles are active at
a time and they only stay active for about 6-8 weeks before shutting off and
entering a resting phase. Latisse tells the eyelash follicle to stay in the
growth phase for a longer period of time, and recruits more eyelash follicles
out of the resting phase. Consequently, more eyelashes are growing for a
longer period of time, resulting in naturally longer eyelashes.

Latisse also thickens your lashes by 100% (confirmed in the FDA approval
studies). That’s double the thickness! And Latisse works directly on the
eyelash pigment cells, telling them to produce more pigment, resulting in
darker eyelashes, too.

Here’s what we know about how to use Latisse. You should use it daily along
the base of your upper eyelashes. It takes a few weeks to start seeing the
effect. You will see your most dramatic results between weeks 8 and 16, so
you need to stick with it for optimal results. If you stop using it, your
eyelashes will maintain their new “younger” state for about a month before
they slowly return to baseline. Once you achieve your desired results, you
don’t need to use it every day to maintain that result; 2-3 times a week is
usually sufficient (most women end up using about 4 bottles a year). And
you can also use it on your eyebrows!

BEFORE

AFTER

What about side effects? People often hear the Latisse commercials and
worry about all the side effects that are mentioned (by FDA requirement). In
reality, they are very rare. The side effect that causes the most concern is
eye color change. This is extremely rare. Your blue eyes won’t turn brown.
If too much Latisse is dropped into the eye (rather than along your eyelash as
directed) on a daily basis for a long time, people with light brown eyes could
see a darkening in their brown. If Latisse is used correctly, there is no reason
to think that even this would happen. The most common side effects are
redness and irritation in the tissues surrounding the eye. This happens in
about 4% of women. It always goes away. And usually, if you decrease the
frequency of use for a few weeks, you can continue to use the Latisse without
it turning into a persistant problem.

Eyelash extension have long been a popular way to restore a more youthful
eye appearance, but I believe that Latisse lashes appear much more natural
and certainly don’t have the “heavy” feeling that can sometimes be associated
with extensions. Extensions are best for the “impatient” or in preparation
for an event, since results are immediate. We encourage women with
extensions to use Latisse at the same time. It helps strengthen the natural
lashes at the base of the extensions, reduces the amount of breakage when
the extensions come off, and reduces the frequency of “fills”

Latisse requires a prescription, but can be purchased directly from many
prescribing doctor’s offices including ours. The cost is typically between
$110-$130 a bottle (varies from pharmacy to pharmacy). During November,
we have $25 rebate certificates available at my office and these rebates are
not available at pharmacies. With our current Latisse price of $109, that
brings your cost down to $84. We also offer two bottles at a discounted
price of $195 ($171 with the rebate).