January 27, 2009
What Do Glaucoma Medication and Long Eyelashes Have In Common
The pursuit of beauty has always been a lifelong adventure for many people. In the past, individuals were limited to clothes, accessories and even hair coloring. As time past, cosmetic surgeries became popular. Face lifts, breast augmentation, liposuction and other assorted procedures have made millions of people look younger and feel better about themselves.
More recently Botox has become a very popular procedure to temporarily eliminate facial wrinkles. Allergan, the company that produces Botox is expanding its’ cosmetic pharmaceutical line to include a drug that will increase the volume of eye lashes. It currently manufactures Lumigan which is a prostaglandin analog that treats Glaucoma, an eye disease that causes blindness if left untreated. Use of prostaglandin analogs for glaucoma therapy has produced 2 well documented side affects. The first, is increasing pigment in the irises of light eye people. Thus blue and green eyes may become brown and brown eyes may become black. The second is longer, fuller eye lashes. This was discovered by accident among the drugs users.
There are additional side effects such as redness, itchy eyes and skin pigmentation. This new application drug will be called Latisse and will only be available with a doctor’s prescription. According to the New York Times the monthly cost will be approximately $120.00. The world wide annual expenditure for mascara is in excess of $ 5 Billion and Allergan feels that this product will increase those numbers significantly.
According to Dr Marc Werner, a NYC Oculoplastic surgeon, there is concern that over use of this drug may present the patient with side effects similar to glaucoma patients and may upset the natural balance of intraocular pressure if used incorrectly. Other eye doctors interviewed expressed reservations about prescribing Latisses since they would be liable for the potential side effects, but not gain financially for this additional risk.
Other drugs that have found secondary uses in addition to Botox and prostaglandin analogs are Finasteride which treats prostate enlargement and now is used to treat male pattern baldness and Tretinoin an acne medication that treats fine facial wrinkles under the name of Renova.
All of these therapies are revolutionary and have great therapeutic effects, but must always be used with caution under a doctor’s care and supervision.
Tags: What Do Glaucoma Medication and Long Eyelashes Have In Common
Comments(12)
Wow! The above story on Latisse is scary! Not sure why someone would feel they need to see a Doctor for longer lashes when Revitalash can be purchased easily on-line or from a salon/day spa. I bought mine from a salon where I get my facials. The Esthetician has amazing eyelashes! I’m 5 weeks into useage and already notice a difference! Can’t wait to see what 3 more weeks will bring…
Hey Alexandra… this is my favorite part of this article…
“eye doctors interviewed expressed reservations about prescribing Latisses since they would be liable for the potential side effects, but not gain financially for this additional risk.” haha
I use Revitalash too and have for quite some time… You will LOVE LOVE LOVE your lashes in a few weeks!!
Ladies, your concerns are valid! I have tried Latisse and couldn’t make it past 2 weeks of useage!!! Terrible itchiness and redness on my eyelids. I feel I’ve wasted $120.00. Revitalash gets a lot of buzz on the web. Where can I buy it?
I am not a fan of mascaras before. However, after I read some articles on how it brings beauty to your eyelashes. I rushed and had one for myself. I bought Revitalash eyelash conditioner and noticed how effective it is. I’m really amazed on how my eyelashes looks now, it’s looking fuller and darker. Haven’t tried any brands though. Any suggestions?
I am user of mascara, I’ve been to several brands however stick to one brand when I started using revitalash eyelash
conditioner. It’s where I found satisfaction. Got compliments most of the time from my friends because it really made a big difference to my face. Such an amazing product by revitalash.
Me as well, I stopped using mascara since I’ve found out and start using the eyelash conditioner from revitalash.
I’ve been using it for about a year now and noticed how my eyelashes enhanced naturally after 6-8 weeks of using it.
I got darker and fuller lashes now. Got compliments all the time because it really made a big difference to my face.
Thanks to revitalash. I am loving it.
I haven’t tried using any eyelash enhancers. However when I was in a Salon, the woman told me to try using one for my eyelashes. I asked her what is good brand to buy. She mentioned several. Like Vaseline, Revitalash and Latisse. After that I did some research on their prices and found that that revitalsh is less expensive. So I did go for revitalash and I am still using it until now, it’s been a year already. Revitalash is really worth the affordable price. I noticed the difference it made to my face. My lashes are now looking fuller and darker. I’m sticking to this product.
Here is what i can share. Hope this helps. At first I really noticed how my bestfriend’s eyelashes enhanced
naturally. I really wondered why her lashes were becoming fuller and thicker. I kept asking her what she did on her
lashes and always answers me “secret”. I was asking her almost everyday and one day finally told me the she has been using revitalash eyelash conditioner. I drag her to the mall and bought one for myself. One thing I can say is, it’s
amazing. I’m sticking to this brand forever.
Hi there, I am using Revitalash too, There is one thing I can say to this brand, it’s really amazing. My face became gorgeous looking because of my fuller and darker eyelashes. Thanks to revitalash. I’ve heard of some other brands but i’m sticking to revitalash.
Woaah! many of us here are really experiencing how amazing revitalash is. Well to share, I am so thankful to this
revitalash eyelash conditioner. It really made by brittle and short lashes to naturally looking fuller, darker and
healthier lashes. Great Product.
Exactly ladies! That is why I am using Revitalash now, also it fits my budget and I never expected how it naturally enhanced my lashes. Looking fuller and darker now which makes a big difference to my face. Latisse is way beyond my price range, too expensive.
I too switched to Revitalash. With the other brand I got irritations and it is too expensive. I am now on my 3rd month and I can say, With Revitalash you’ll get satisfaction guaranteed.