Since LATISSE® (with its active ingredient Bimatoprost) was approved by the FDA in December of 2008, the buzz about its ability to expand and lengthen eyelashes has been amazing.
However, you might be surprised to learn that LATISSE® wasn’t created as a cosmetic product, but as a glaucoma treatment! It’s true. Finding that patients’ lashes grew longer and thicker resulted in the product being approved by the FDA to be marketed to women for cosmetic purposes.
Since its approval, however, even more benefits of Bimatoprost having been surfacing. The use of LATISSE® for eyebrow growth is being explored, as well as its use in people suffering with thinning hair. Women who’ve been too aggressive with the tweezers could finally obtain fuller eyebrows if the product is approved for this purpose.
The compound Bimatoprost has also been shown to reduce body fat in mammals, prompting studies to evaluate the effectiveness of Bimatoprost injections on fatty deposits in the human body. Imagine a fat reduction treatment similar to BOTOX® Cosmetic and filler injections that enables fat to disappear. But don’t cancel your gym membership immediately. It will take years for these kinds of treatments to be approved by the FDA. Bimatoprost is currently only approved in the U.S. for glaucoma treatment in the form of the prescription Lumigan and for eyelash growth under the name LATISSE®.
As for side effects, LATISSE® is one of the safest products available for eyelash growth. During clinical trials, the most common side effect after applying LATISSE® was itchy or red eyes, which was only reported by fewer than 4% of users. Bimatoprost has passed FDA regulations twice, for both medical and cosmetic purposes, just like Botox. Contrary to rumors about changes in eye color for blue-eyed individuals using LATISSE®, not a single case has been reported in individuals using the product for eyelash growth, though this can be a side effect in individuals using a stronger solution of the drops directly into the eyes as a glaucoma treatment.