When Daisy Duck flutters her eye and flaunts her curly eye lashes, the thought that crosses the mind of most girls is ‘how I wish they were mine.' Long eye lashes are desirable but when you are not born with it, the easiest solution came from cosmetic stores.
But not anymore. Fake eye lashes up your oomph quotient alright, but what about the pain and trouble when they have to be removed? For once, we can forget the cliché ‘no pain no gain'.
Doctors have found a gel that does the trick in a couple of months. “Easy to use, easy to procure and one will witness a visible change in your eyelashes,” says Dr. Srinivas Rao, cosmetologist. The solution is Latisse. It has been introduced by Allergan and is the first and only FDA-approved prescription treatment for inadequate or not enough eyelashes, growing them longer, fuller and darker.
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But Lattise was a discovery by chance.
According to medical journals, in 2001, Allergan developed a medicated eye drop used to treat ocular hypertension. In addition to successfully lowering eye pressure (the only treatable risk factor for glaucoma), many patients using this medication experienced a side effect — they began to grow longer, fuller and darker lashes. This led Allergan to begin its study of this medication's active ingredient, bimatoprost ophthalmic solution 0.03 per cent, for the sole purpose of generating lash growth. But there is no reason to panic, ophthalmologists say that when Latisse do not harm the eye.
So, who are the most conscious lot? “Children read a lot about beauty on the Internet these days. Invariably every teenager who comes to me for consultation enquires about eyelashes. It is also the top priority for young girls of marriageable age. Long and dark eyelashes are an asset that add to the attractive quotient. I usually suggest Latisse to them because it is medically safe, doesn't harm the eye and can be bought very easily,” says Dr. Rashmi Shetty, cosmetic physician whose client list includes who's who of Bollywood.
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The medicine takes approximately 30 to 45 days to show results.
According to cosmetologists, Latisse scores over fake eyelashes because of it is safe. “False lashes hurt the eyelid and the delicate lining of the eyelashes when it is being pulled off. Sometime, this also results in losing the natural eyelashes,” says cosmetologist Dr. Supraja Rao. Dr. Supraja Rao has been recommending Latisse to beauty conscious women and also to those who come to her with complaints following fake eyelashes.
Doctors say use of Latisse is easy and the medicine comes with a set of 60 to 70 delicate disposable wands. “The wands need to be dabbed in the medicine and applied to the upper eyelids. If it touches the lower eyelid it can be washed or wiped with a delicate cloth,” explains Dr. Shetty.
But everything has a price and your eyelash medicine could cost you a little more than your moisturiser. For something that lasts for long and earns you compliments should Rs. 6000 be an issue?