Photo courtesy of djcodrinThe New York Times Style section has another interesting piece today, this time focusing on the explosive popularity of Latisse. For those of you who have somehow missed the Allergan-funded media extravaganza featuring Brooke Shields, Latisse is a medication that increases the length and thickness of eyelashes. As the article points out, Latisse is a prescription-only drug, but consumers and apparently physicians are finding ways around that stipulation.
As with a lot of medical discoveries, Latisse's usefulness for the "lash-challenged" was somewhat serendipitous. The drug, bimatoprost, was originally used and marketed by Allergan as a glaucoma medication; eye doctors noticed that their patients were growing longer, lusher lashes on the treated eye. Allergan moved to capitalize on that discovery, which now grosses them over $70 million a year.
The thing is, because Latisse is so "easy" and the perception is that it's "just" a cosmetic enhancement, it seems that not everyone is exercising the proper amount of caution with its dispensation and use. As with any prescription medication, not everyone is a suitable candidate, and there are benefits, risks, and known side effects with the use of Latisse.
Just as with all the other non-invasive cosmetic procedures, like Botox/Dysport and dermal fillers like Juvederm and Restylane, a qualified and experienced physician should do a full history and physical before determining if you are right for the procedure/medication.
This is what Dr. Weintraub and I do at Duet; call us conservative, but you are not just our client, you are our patient. We want you to look good and feel good, and I think that a little good old-fashioned doctoring helps achieve that. Even with something as "simple" and fabulous as Latisse.
