Cosmetic Prescriptions: Longer, Fuller Lashes Coming Soon

Allergan, the pharmaceutical company which brought the world Botox, has announced the launch of its new FDA approved prescription medication for lengthening eyelashes. Latisse contains the same basic medication as Allergan's glaucoma eyedrops, Lumigan. Lumigan is a prostaglandin analog, which helps reduce the pressure in the eyes of glaucoma patients. Apparently a sharp eyed researcher discovered that a frequent side effect of Lumigan usage is longer, thicker eyelashes. (Other frequent side effects include discoloration of the iris and eye irritation.) I saw a commercial for Latisse on television last night, which touted it as the Next Great Thing in beauty breakthroughs. Curious, I looked up some of the details online. I was flabbergasted when I found the price tag - about $120 a month, or $4 per day. And you have the double whammy: since it's a prescription medication, you have to see a doctor to get a prescription. But since it's a cosmetic prescription, your health insurance won't cover it. So I guess you can probably add in the cost of the initial doctor's visit to that tally. However, Allergan could be right when they say that Latisse is going to be the next Botox. Botox has been a phenomenal earner for Allergan, and is fairly well accepted among women. And Latisse has that whole "not a deadly toxin" thing going for it. Allergan admits that it does not really know how Latisse works, although "the company speculates that the drug may increase the length and amount of hair that sprouts during the growth cycle." Everyone wants to know if Latisse will work on hair elsewhere, such as the eyebrows and scalp, but Allergan is playing coy.

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One of the side effects of

One of the side effects of Allergan (which includes Lumigan, Alphagan and Combigan) is longer lashes, but to consider drugs like this for their potential cosmetic side effects does not take into consideration the long list of adverse health effects they can have such as:

Ocular adverse events occurring in approximately 3 to 10% of patients, in descending order of incidence, included ocular dryness, visual disturbance, ocular burning, foreign body sensation, eye pain, pigmentation of the periocular skin, blepharitis, cataract, superficial punctate keratitis, eyelid erythema, ocular irritation, and eyelash darkening. The following ocular adverse events reported in approximately 1 to 3% of patients, in descending order of incidence, included: eye discharge, tearing, photophobia, allergic conjunctivitis, asthenopia, increases in iris pigmentation, and conjunctival edema. In less than 1% of patients, intraocular inflammation was reported as iritis.

Systemic adverse events reported in approximately 10% of patients were infections (primarily colds and upper respiratory tract infections). The following systemic adverse events reported in approximately 1 to 5% of patients, in descending order of incidence, included headaches, abnormal liver function tests, asthenia and hirsutism.

Drugs such as these certainly have their place in helping preserve vision when used properly.
There are also nutrients that can help preserve vision for those with glaucoma. For more related research studies, see the "Research" section at Natural Eye Care for Glaucoma Prevention

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