The FDA just announced that they have approved pharmaceutical company Allergan to market Latisse. Latisse will be a prescription only eyelash growth drug that you dab onto your upper lash line. It is a different form of a glaucoma treatment drug called Lumigan.
Doctors and patients noticed that the glaucoma treatment had the unusual side effect of lengthening and thickening eyelashes, so Allergan is reformatting it into a single applicator dosage that you will dab onto the lash line, as I said above. The FDA just approved this drug for this use.
"Latisse fulfills a significant and previously unmet need in the medical aesthetic marketplace with a product approved by the FDA that increases the growth of eyelashes, making them longer, thicker and darker," said Scott Whitcup, M.D., Allergan's Executive Vice President of R&D. "As the global leader in medical aesthetics,Latisse exemplifies our continuing commitment to developing innovative treatments that are studied in well-controlled clinical trials, manufactured to pharmaceutical standards, appropriately labeled for use, and available to consumers as a prescription product."
Allergan states that "Latisse users can expect to experience longer, fuller, and darker eyelashes in as little as eight weeks, with full results in 16 weeks." If Latisse is stopped though, eyelashes will gradually return to their previous appearance as new eyelashes grow in. That is the part that I do not like. As the company will start marketing the treatment in February for $120 for a 30-day supply, this is definitely an expensive investment.
I am also not so sure of another one of the side effects, as Allergan has it listed that Latisse may cause darkening of the eyelid and surrounding skin, which may or may not be reversible, and it "may also cause increased brown pigmentation of the colored part of the eye, which is likely to be permanent." They also state that Latisse may also promote hair growth in other skin areas that it frequently touches.
Of course, they are expected to be side effects, but these seem pretty dramatic to me. I rather just coat on the mascara as I do now, because let's be honest - I bet Latisse users will still use mascara for that extra control and oomph.
Time will tell and I am anxious to hear what real women think after using the treatment. Allergan expects sales upwards of $500 million per year. WOW!
To find out more, you can read the release from Allergan here: Allergan Latisse Release
