Can You Really Have Thicker Longer Lashes Without Mascara?
Woman have always wanted to have beautiful eyes in order to feel better about themselves. Attractive eyes, skin and teeth make a beautiful face and are a sign of good health. A striking way of making the eyes more attractive is to have thicker, longer eyelashes. Men have always been attracted to women with beautiful eyes and eyelashes play a significant part in enhancing a woman's appearance.
In ancient Egypt both men and woman applied "eyepaint" made out of a mixture of soot and powdered metal to their eyebrows and lashes. The Greeks made formulas out of plants and minerals and as they spread their influence throughout the ancient world the tradition of enhancing their eyes with these products also spread. In the early Christian era, until the Roman Empire fell, cosmetics came into common use. For about 500 years, during the dark ages, cosmetics fell out of use until they were re-introduced by the Crusaders from the East. They flourished throughout Europe during the Renaissance - at first only used by the aristocracy - but by the 1700's all classes of society were able to afford to do so.
In the 1800's the desire for alluring eyelashes encouraged many creative woman to make their own homemade concoctions out of ashes, castor oils and berries. The first commercial mascara was invented by a London perfumer in 1840 and gained popularity throughout the rest of the 19th century because of easily available compact mirrors and photography. An American chemist formulated the first modern day mascara and called it "Maybelline" - after his sister Mabel and Vaseline ( the products main ingredient along with coal dust.) Furthur advances were made in 1938 when a waterproof formula was patented.
What women really want is to have thicker, longer eyelashes. Then they feel more beautiful and feminine and sexually desireable. The only way to get thicker longer lashes until now has been to apply modern day versions of mascara. This results in dirty, greasy eyelashes especially when viewed up close. Artificial eyelashes or eyelash extenstions are sometimes applied but they also result in an unnatural appearance and can be a hassle to maintain .
Introducing LATISSE™
A new prescription product on the market is LATISSE™ (bimatoprost ophthalmic solution) 0.03% . LATISSE™ solution is a prescription treatment for hypotrichosis used to grow eyelashes, making them longer, thicker and darker. Hypotrichosis is the medical term for not having enough eyelashes.
Precautions and Usage
You should not use LATISSE™ if you are allergic to one of its ingredients. Its main active ingredient is LUMIGAN® (bimatoprost ophthalmic solution) .
LATISSE™ solution is intended for use on the skin of the upper eyelid margins at the base of the eyelashes. DO NOT APPLY to the lower eyelid.
If you have a history of abnormal IOP (eye pressure that can cause glaucoma) you should only use LATISSE™ under the close supervision of your eye doctor (ophthalmologist or optometrist) .
LATISSE™ may cause darkening of the eyelid skin which may be reversible. (The darkening may fade with discontinuation of LATISSE™ ).
Although not reported in clinical studies, LATISSE™ use may also cause increased brown pigmentation of the colored part of the eye (iris) which is likely to be permanent. If you have blue or hazel eyes this is something you should strongly consider.
You should tell your physician you are using LATISSE™ especially if you have a history of eye pressure problems. You should also tell anyone conducting an eye pressure screening that you are using LATISSE™. The reason for this is LATISSE™ may mask the presence of glaucoma that you are unaware of. In clinical trials, in patients with or without elevated IOP, LATISSE™ lowered IOP, however, the magnitude of the reduction was not cause for clinical concern. In ocular hypertension studies with LUMIGAN®, it has been shown that exposure of the eye to more than one dose of bimatoprost daily may decrease the intraocular pressure lowering effect. In patients using LUMIGAN® or other prostaglandin analogs for the treatment of elevated intraocular pressure, the concomitant use of LATISSE™ may interfere with the desired reduction in IOP. Patients using prostaglandin analogs including LUMIGAN® for IOP reduction should only use LATISSE™ after consulting with their physician and should be monitored for changes to their intraocular pressure.
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.
Adverse Reactions: The most frequently reported adverse events were eye pruritus (itching), conjunctival hyperemia (red eyes), skin hyperpigmentation (eye lid and skin surrounding eyelids darkening), ocular irritation, dry eye symptoms, and erythema (redness) of the eyelid. These events occurred in less than 4% of patients.
It is not known exactly why Latisse promotes eyelash growth, but Allergan (the manufacturer) speculates that the drug may increase the length and amount of hair that sprouts during the lash growth cycle. The drug may also stimulate eyebrow and scalp hair .
The cost of Latisse is about $125 dollars a month. Latisse is the only FDA approved eyelash enhancer promising to give you thicker, longer eyelashes in about 8 weeks. In order to get a prescription you must see a doctor. The best doctor to see is an eye doctor (optometrist or ophthalmologist) .
Call us at (816) 888-5400 to get your prescription. We have been using bimatoprost for years since it was first made available as LUMIGAN® for the treatment of glaucoma, an eye disease that can cause blindness. We have always been aware of the side affects and are able and experienced in treating them.