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WHAT IS LATISSE?

It may not be the case for everyone reading this, but if you’re mindful about your eyelashes and how they look, you might be familiar with the word Latisse where beauty care products are concerned. What is there to know about it beyond the everyday Latisse reviews you might come across on the web? Let’s start from the very beginning:

Once upon a time, someone underwent glaucoma treatment using a prescription eye-dropper called Lumigan that they’d received from their ophthalmologist. A few months later, their glaucoma was much better, but for some reason they’d also sprouted some really fabulous fluttering eyelashes!

As it turns out, Bimatoprost (a prostaglandin analog which has been used traditionally to treat ocular hypertension and open-angle glaucoma) has a curious secondary side-effect: thickening and lengthening of the upper eyelashes. Because of its cosmetic function, Bimatoprost was turned into a gel known as Latisse, and is now available as a prescription cosmetic product and you can get it right here at Utah Valley Dermatology for a competitive price.

HOW DO YOU USE LATISSE?

How does one apply Latisse? Do you just drop a glob of Latisse into your eye and voilá, brand new eyelashes? Well, let’s not get ahead of ourselves just yet; Latisse is still a prescription medication and as such has a set of precautions and side-effects that need to be taken into consideration before using the product.

First of all, Latisse is not suitable for everyone; anyone under 18, pregnant women or women who are breastfeeding should steer clear of this product, as should patients that are suffering from eye conditions such as glaucoma, eye inflammation, or macular edema. But isn’t Latisse originally for glaucoma? you might ask. The active component is, but for specific treatment of glaucoma a patient needs to be evaluated by an ophthalmologist first to determine what treatment is the best option. Whoever is considering using Latisse anyway, needs to first be evaluated by an eye doctor to ensure the treatment is a viable option for them.

Also, while Latisse will stimulate longer, thicker, and darker eyelashes, it also has some secondary, not-so-desired side effects. This includes irritation and redness in the eyes as well as darkening of the eyelid skin; both of these side effects will disappear when use of the product is discontinued. In some rare cases, an irreversible darkening of the iris has been reported, but again, this is rare.

Alright, so let’s assume you’ve done your due diligence and all signs point to Latisse being right for you and you’ve purchased some from UV Derm. Now how do we put it on? You can follow this step-by-step guide:

  1. At night time, remove all makeup and contact lens and thoroughly clean the face and eyes.
  2. Latisse comes with special sterile applicators. Take one of the applicators and apply a single drop of Latisse on to it from the dropper. (Always make sure that the tip of the bottle never touches any other surface besides the lid or the tip of the sterile applicator)
  3. Once the applicator is ready, carefully apply the product onto the skin on the upper eyelid by drawing across the eyelid at the base, from the inner lash line to the outer lash line. (Caution: NEVER apply Latisse to the lower eyelid or into the eye directly)
  4. Using a tissue, blot any excess of the product that may be outside of the eyelash line.
  5. Finally, dispose of the applicator. Never re-use it. To apply to the other eye, use a new applicator to avoid any cross-contamination that could possibly lead to eye-infection.

HOW LONG DOES LATISSE LAST?

Seems simple enough, right? The effects of Latisse can last through an eyelash cycle, which is about 1-2 months. Upkeep of the treatment should be applied around every other night or every third night. Keep in mind that discontinuing the use of Latisse will eventually cause eyelashes to return to their previous state.

Check with your ophthalmologist and with Utah Valley Dermatology to see if Latisse is right for you.