I’m sure most of you have seen the ads for eyelash grower Latisse, starring Brooke Shields.
I started my own adventure with the controversial eyelash grower Latisse November 10, 2009. So far, I’ve had remarkable results, but I’ll get to those in a minute.
As many of you know, the following are the main criticisms of Latisse:
+No one knows if it works
+It’s expensive
+It may be unsafe/ have negative side effects
+It hasn’t been on the market long enough to be deemed safe in the long term
As a unbiased source who has done a lot of research on the eyelash grower (and used it myself), I’d like to address these criticisms one by one.
1) No one knows if Latisse even works. At this point, Latisse has been out for a while and people are beginning to come to a general consensus about the product. Yes, Latisse works. But you don’t have to take my word for it.
As you can see in the following “before” and “after” pictures of my eyelashes, Latisse worked great for me. I experienced a noticeable increase in the body and volume of my lashes, as well as a dramatic increase in their length. For the first time in my life, I’ve had lots of people comment on how long my eyelashes are.
I am not wearing any makeup in either of these pictures and they have not been retouched. Latisse experts say that full results are seen three months after you begin using the product. These pictures were taken two months apart from one another. My eyelashes have grown longer since the more recent pictures were taken.
Before Latisse:
After Latisse (2 months of use):
Before Latisse:
After Latisse (after 2 months of use):
2) Latisse is expensive. When Latisse is used as directed by doctors, one $120 bottle lasts approximately one month. Results are seen in two to three months. Continued use is needed in order to maintain results. This means that it can cost up to $360 to see final results and you have to keep buying monthly bottles in order to keep your lashes long. So yes, Latisse is obviously not a cheap investment.
However, I was able to get around these expenses, to an extent. As a way to conserve money, I followed the advice of one of my readers, Linda. She said that “If you don’t use the included brushes and use a thin regular eyeliner brush instead, your bottle of Latisse can last about 10 weeks. Put only one drop in the cap of the bottle and that is enough to treat both eyes, with a little left over for your eyebrows if needed there too… I got this information from the website of Dr. Lorrie Klein of California. After the initial 16 weeks, you can go to about 3 times a week for application. It is not as expensive as it first seems. Good luck–I love it.”
With her advice in mind, I’ve only gone through 1.2 bottles of Latisse and I’ve been using it for three months. Of course, this meant ignoring the advice of my doctor, which I’d never suggest that my readers should do. I just just saying what worked for me.
3) Latisse may have side effects. My personal experience with Latisse was that it began to make my eyelids itch after I first started using it. I tweeted about this and received a response back from @AHLaser saying “You could try skipping one day and going back to using it. That seemed to work for our Latisse users when their eyes itched.” I followed @AHLaser’s instructions and low and behold, my eyelids were back to normal right away and I haven’t had any problems since.
This is what Latisse’s Web site has to say about possible side effects of Latisse.
“The most common side effects after using LATISSE® solution are an itching sensation in the eyes and/or eye redness. This was reported in approximately 4% of patients. LATISSE® solution may cause other less common side effects which typically occur on the skin close to where LATISSE® is applied, or in the eyes. These include skin darkening, eye irritation, dryness of the eyes, and redness of the eyelids. If you develop a new ocular condition (e.g., trauma or infection), experience a sudden decrease in visual acuity, have ocular surgery, or develop any ocular reactions, particularly conjunctivitis and eyelid reactions, you should immediately seek your physician’s advice concerning the continued use of LATISSE® solution.”
4) Latisse hasn’t been on the market long enough to be determined as safe in the long term. Prescribing Latisse to patients then having something go wrong in 10 years is every doctor’s worst nightmare. Allow me tell you about an odd experience I had when I went to pick up my second bottle of Latisse.
When I asked the receptionist at my doctor’s office for a new bottle of Latisse, three nurses and a doctor gathered around me to “ooh” and “ahh” at how long my eyelashes had gotten. “Latisse is just great, isn’t it?” the doctor asked. Me, being the cynical beauty critic that I am, responded like so, “Yes, but hopefully it won’t make me go blind in 10 years!” The nurses and doctor looked at me uncomfortably, saying nothing as they walked away. It was very awkward. One nurse was left standing in front of me, forced to respond to my comment. “Yes, well, we’re all hopeful that there are no long-term side effects!” she said with a wink.
It was very interesting how these medical professionals deliberately avoided making any sort of guarantees that there are no long-term side effects of Latisse. The truth is, it is too soon to know anything for sure. This is very scary for many people. Chances are, my eyes and everybody else’s will be just fine. But as with any product that hasn’t been on the market for very long, it’s impossible to know that now. Obviously, I’ve decided to take my chances and use the product which has (so far) resulted in no serious complications.
If your interested in a comparison of Latisse to LiLash (a similar, non-prescription eyelash grower), check out my blog entry, Latisse vs. LiLash… The truth uncovered! More information about Latisse can be found on their Web site, www.Latisse.com.
XOXO,
Sarah
Your PJ
