BT Calgary Blogs

Most women crave long, dark eyelashes. Just look at all the millions of kinds of mascara on the market. Well, there’s a drug that will soon be available in Canada, called Latisse, that claims to do just that. But – it’s a drug! And it has side effects.

Here’s the story.

 Advertisements and reviews of “Latisse” are in all the fall magazines, and women are very intrigued.
But what exactly is it? Opthamologist Doctor Michael Ashenhurst says, it’s a drug used to treat the common eye disease, glaucoma.

“it’s part of a group of drugs called prostaglandin analogs, there’s 3 or 4 different varieties.”

It goes under the brand name ‘Lumigan’ in Canada, and is not yet available as ‘Latisse.’

“It’s an established drug that’s being applied to a new use…the primary effect of all the prostaglandin analogs is to reduce the pressure in the eye which is what we’re doing to treat glaucoma, and it does that by affecting the production and flow of fluids inside the eye.”

But with Latisse, it’s recommended you don’t put the drug actually in the eye. Instead you brush it on the lash lines with applicators.

Doctor Ashenhurst says this product is fairly high maintenance. You have to use it everyday to get the effect, and once you stop using it, the effect goes away. Not to mention the fact, there can be some serious side effects.
That is, if Latisse actually gets into your eye.

“Most people on this drug will get a little redness which may get better with time.”

But that redness can be persistent in some patients. there can also be some burning and irritation. 
It can also change the colour of your eye.

“It can give you some freckling or tanning of the lid skin and it can change the colour of your iris, it can get more brown.”

And….

“In some susceptible patients it can cause swelling in the back of the eye in the retina and that can cause vision problems.”

Which is why Doctor Ashenhurst recommends, you see an eye doctor before trying Latisse.

“For a first time use, in someone who hasn’t had an eye exam, I’d be a bit cautious.”

Yet there’s no doubt, in the majority of cases, your lashes will grow longer, and darker after about 5 weeks.

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For more information on this product visit the website:

http://latisse.com/