Enhancing Your Eyelashes with Latisse®
Many women desire to have their eyelashes enhanced. Whether it’s due to genetics, aging, or medications, short or sparse eyelashes can be a frustrating issue. Though makeup can do a lot to enhance lashes, some are not able to wear mascara, and others feel they need extra assistance in making their lashes longer or fuller.
While some prefer eyelash extensions, which can provide instant results, the application of fake lakes can also be a long process that must be kept up regularly. For those who do not want to devote the time, effort and expense to lash extension, Latisse, a topical lash enhancement serum, helps grow thicker lashes.
To learn more about how you can achieve darker, fuller, and longer lashes with Latisse, contact Dr. Kato today!
What Makes Latisse Popular and Effective?
Latisse® is one of the most popular cosmetic products on the market. Latisse lengthens, fills, and darkens your eyelashes. Most patients see amazing results in just a few weeks or months.
Latisse was created by Allergan in 2001; this same company provides other highly-sought-after products such as Botox and Dysport. Latisse was first used to resolve intraocular pressure and was a common prescription for those with glaucoma. When patients started noticing that using the medication made their eyelashes grow fuller, darker, and longer, Allergan began to study it for its cosmetic benefits. After performing the necessary clinical trials, Latisse was approved by the FDA for cosmetic use in 2008. Since then, Americans have purchased approximately four million bottles of Latisse for cosmetic use.
What to Expect with Using Latisse for Lash Enhancement
Latisse comes in a small bottle with a supply of sterile, one-time-use applicators. The liquid should be brushed onto the upper eyelash line carefully. It naturally transfers to your lower eyelids as you blink, and it should never be applied there directly. You also need to be careful when applying Latisse, as it can promote hair growth on any section of skin that it touches regularly.
Latisse is only FDA-approved for use on the upper lashes, and it should only be used as recommended. Some individuals want to use the product on their eyebrows, lower lashes, or other areas where they want to promote hair growth, but this is discouraged. Excess hair growth of the lower lashes and other areas could irritate. It has not been tested on brows or other areas and therefore should not be used anywhere but the upper lashes.
When you consult with Dr. Maya Kato at Aesthetic Art for a Latisse prescription in Palm Desert, she can help you better understand the application process. After a period of using the product, we may also recommend a maintenance phase in which applications occur every other day.
Once you start using Latisse, you will notice a gradual thickening, lengthening, and darkening of your lashes. Most people experience results in seven to eight weeks with full results in approximately four months.
What You Need to Know About Latisse
Latisse has been proven to work for almost all patients. After a 16-week study, participants saw a 25% increase in length, a 106% increase in fullness and an 18% increase in the darkness of the lashes. Rarely, patients are ineligible for Latisse. Dr. Kato may recommend against the use of this lash lengthening serum if you have conjunctivitis, uveitis and other eye problems, such as risk for macular edema and allergies or infections of the eyelid.
While Latisse is generally considered a very safe treatment, some people experience minor to moderate side effects, including eye redness, darkening of the eyelids, and itchy eyes. After extended, long-term use, Latisse sometimes causes a darkening of the iris’s pigmentation in some patients with light eyes.
Some safety precautions should be adhered to when using Latisse. The bottle must remain intact, and you should avoid allowing the tip of the bottle or the applicator to touch surrounding surfaces, your fingers, or other parts of your face or body. This could contaminate Latisse with common bacteria, leading to eye infections. You should also only use the applicator that comes with the bottle once, then discard it. If you need additional applicators, contact our office.
If you have contact lenses, it’s suggested that you remove them before applying Latisse, as soft contact lenses could absorb some of the ingredients. Those with soft contact lenses can re-insert them 15 minutes following their application of Latisse.
Despite its widespread cosmetic appeal, Latisse is still a medication that must be prescribed by a doctor. At Aesthetic Art in Palm Desert, Latisse is one of our top facial cosmetic products. Our knowledgeable medical staff will assess your needs and determine if Latisse is a good option for you.
General Tips and Suggestions for Using Lash Growth Treatment
- Keep in mind that Latisse takes time to work. If you stop using the product, you will lose results and must begin the routine over.
- Latisse should be applied to clean lashes. It’s best to incorporate it into either your morning or nightly routine before eye makeup has been applied or after it has been removed. Incorporating it into your daily routine will help you remember to use it on schedule. Keep the bottle near your toothbrush or eye makeup remover, so you don’t forget.
- If you miss a dose one day, don’t apply twice the next day to catch up. Simply keep with your once a day schedule. Applying too much Latisse could lead to eye irritation.
- Be conscious of germs getting into the bottle or onto the applicator. Bacteria that is harmless elsewhere can cause painful eye infections.
- Keep track of your progress. It’s easy to believe you don’t see results because they develop gradually and subtly at first. If you take pictures throughout the weeks, you’ll be able to see the effects of Latisse.
What to Expect after Treatment
We recommend that those who use Latisse continue with the product for at least 16 weeks, as this is when full results can be seen. We then usually recommend patients go to a maintenance phase where they only apply Latisse once every other day or however often is necessary to keep their desired lash fullness and length. Most women find they can maintain their lashes by using Latisse once every two to three days.
Those who choose to discontinue Latisse will notice their lashes gradually going back to their original length, color, and fullness. There will be no lingering effects of the product after a few weeks. Those who want to start using Latisse again may do so.
If you have questions about using Latisse to create longer, fuller, and darker eyelashes, we are always here to answer them! Our patients have experienced amazing results using Latisse. It is easy, invasive, and takes only a few seconds each day to apply. If you’re ready to enhance your appearance with longer lashes, consider starting Latisse today.