Hair Restoration Blog

Prostaglandins have been traditionally used for the treatment of both open-angle glaucoma and ocular hypertension. The funny thing is doctors accidentally found out the prolonged use in these eye drops surprisingly increased the density and pigmentations of eyelashes. This epiphany is what brought up the idea for why they later used and marketed these drops for cosmetic purposes to elongate the eyelashes in the form of Latisse.

The active ingredient of Latisse, bimatoprost, is present in Allergan’s product.  The drug company Pfizer sells a similar product called Xalatan.  Xalantan (latanoprost) behaves similar to prostaglandin PGF2α and for the same reason can increase the growth of eyelashes.

As mentioned, the effect of Xalantan on length and pigmentation of eyelashes was proven several years ago. There are several positive studies which indicate the effects of Xalantan on hair in the other parts of the body such as eyebrows or scalp hair. However Xalantan is still not approved, nor currently recommended for scalp hair restoration. More research is needed to address its efficacy for hair loss prevention in its pattern form.

There is a recently published study in the Journal of American Academy of Dermatology called “Assessing the Efficacy of Topical Treatment by Latanoprost on Hair Growth and Pigmentation in Androgenetic Alopecia.”

This study was writen by Blume -Peytavi et al. in the Department of Dermatology of Charite-Universitatsmedizin in Berlin. In this study the researchers evaluated the number of hairs, their thicknesses, and pigmentations in a 24 week period while patients used the medication topically on their scalp. They concluded that Latanoprost significantly increases hair density in the form of terminal (thick, mature hair) and vellus hair (peach fuzz). It is recommended that this product could be used as a hair loss medication in the future, but more research is needed to assess its long term effects before we can truly consider latanoprost as a hair loss medication.

Q:

Hi,

I’m a woman and I’m single. I feel like I need any edge I can get in the dating world, as I’m in my thirties and would like to begin dating for the possibility of marriage. I found Latisse on the Web but was wondering how I could buy it for myself.

A:

Hey there,

Latisse (bimatoprost 0.03%) is only available by prescription by a practicing doctor. Do not, I repeat, do not purchase Latisse at another place other than from a prescribing physician or your local pharmacy. There might be quack Latisse products on the market which may have severe side effects.

Latisse side effects include: eyelid skin darkening which may be reversible, and potential for increased brown iris pigmentation which is likely to be permanent.

Latisse does seem to enhance the appearance of eyes. A lot of people want big and beautiful eyes. Latisse can help make eyelashes look longer and thicker.  The effect is through increasing the period of time that hair follicles grow.

For those who want longer eyelashes and already have eyelashes that do not grow long and thick, Latisse is the right product. Another option you might want to consider is an eyelash hair transplant, if you qualify. People with scarring alopecia on the eyelash areas are good candidates for an eyelash transplant, and also people who don’t have very much eyelashes or none at all.