Like many drugs developed in recent years, Latisse made its way to the market inadvertently.  The hot new eyelash enhancer was born out of a group of popular medications called topical prostaglandins, drugs frequently used to decrease intra-ocular pressure in glaucoma patients.

What optometrists labeled a ‘complication’ or side effect of using these topical  agents was “hypertrichosis,” a condition characterized by darkening, thickening, and lengthening of the eyelashes.   

 Allergan offered the topical prostaglandin Lumigan in 2001, a drug that contained the active ingredient bimatoprost. Two important precursors to Latisse occurred after the FDA gave clearance for Lumigan.

Jan Marini Skin Research Inc had over $2 million worth of product seized by the Food and Drug Administration.  The product, Age Intervention Eyelash, evidently contained bimatoprost, which was unapproved for cosmetic use at the time. Allergan later filed a patent infringement suit against Jan Marini and several other companies that had tried to market bimatoprost in their eyelash enhancing drugs.

Some doctors started prescribing Lumigan off-label to enhance eyelashes.  Knowing the desirable side effects it could produce. But Lumigan wasn’t formulated for cosmetic use and many believed more research was needed to confirm the safety of topical prostaglandins for cosmetic use.  

Clinical trials and further research is exactly what Alllergan Inc did.  278 healthy adults with minimal to moderate eyelash prominence applied bimatoprost or a placebo to their lash line.  The results were favorable; researchers observed that the average patient’s eyelashes were 25 percent longer, 106 percent fuller, and 18 percent darker, while only 3.6 percent experienced itchy eyes and redness, and only 2.9 percent experienced skin hyperpigmentation.  

Latisse received FDA approval late last year for the treatment of ‘inadequate’ eyelashes.  Allergan now owns the patent on use of bimatoprost for eyelash enhancement.

For more information on Latisse in Illinois or Indiana, contact Plastic Surgery Experts.

Celebrities like Mandy Moore, Brooke Shields and Marisa Tomei attended a Hollywood charity event last March to help launch the Latisse Wishes campaign, a campaign to support the Make-A-Wish foundation and generate interest in the new eyelash enhancement drug. The Make-A-Wish foundation is known for granting the wishes of suffering children.

Latisse, Allergan’s new eyelash enhancer and latest offering, is the first drug to be approved by the FDA for the treatment of hypotrichosis, a condition characterized by inadequate eyelashes. The Latisse Wishes campaign was launched by Allergan with a $500,000 initial contribution to Make-A-Wish.

Hollywood beauty expert and participant, Anastasia Soare, enthusiastically expressed her support, saying “I constantly work to help make women’s beauty wishes come true, and now we can help children’s wishes come true through the LATISSE™ Wishes campaign.”

It’s not a mere coincidence that Make-A-Wish was chosen as a beneficiary for Allergan’s campaign; the superstitious tradition of blowing on an eyelash to make a wish come true, provides a clever marketing strategy, backed by philanthropy.

The campaign is encouraging consumers to help double the donation amount by visiting www.Latisse.com and registering their support. From now until the end of the year, Allergan will donate 5 dollars for each new registration, up to one million dollars.

Latisse is now available in Chicago and Munster, Indiana; contact us for more information.

The hot new eyelash enhancement drug Latisse is now available in Frankfort and Munster!

Last month, the FDA gave Botox/Juvederm manufacturer Allergan its stamp of approval for Latisse.  Now, the hot new drug is becoming available through certain providers.

What is Latisse? If you haven’t heard yet, it is a special eyelash treatment that is applied to the base of the lashes.  Latisse keeps hairs in their growth phase, producing darker, fuller and longer eyelashes. The aesthetic results of Latisse are desirable, but not permanent; patients must keep using it in order to maintain its effects.

Like many new drugs in recent years, the effects of Latisse were discovered inadvertently. During clinical trials for a glaucoma eye drop called Lumigan, researchers noticed an unintended side effect; patients exhibited longer, fuller lashes.  To make it brief: further research was conducted, the active ingredient (bimatoprost) was reduced, and now many patients can have the long, desirable eyelashes they’ve always wanted.

For more details about special introductory pricing, contact us at 815-806-9400.