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Actress Claire Danes is the newest celebrity spokesperson for Latisse, and her before and after photos are now posted on latisse.com.

She follows in Brooke Shields’s footsteps as a spokesperson for Allergan’s eyelash product, which is the first and only prescription treatment approved by the FDA to grow lashes longer, fuller and darker. Since its approval by the FDA in December 2008, about 1.5 million kits of Latisse have been sold.

The before and after gallery follows Danes’s 16-week treatment on Latisse, with photos at week 0, 4, 8, 12, and 16 at front, angled, and profile views that clearly show her lash growth. The website notes that none of the photos were retouched.

Danes recently commented that she became a “Latisse girl” because she was curious about the product. “The more I learned about Latisse, the more impressed I was. I’ve never used a product that actually affected real physical change,” she added.

Latisse was discovered by accident when Allergan was developing a clinical trial for a glaucoma treatment called Lumigan in 2001. Patients reported a side-effect—significantly longer eyelashes—and Allergan began investigating other uses.

During research of Latisse, doctors reported on average:

• 25 percent increase in eyelash length
• 106 percent increase in eyelash fullness
• 18 percent darkening of the eyelashes

Latisse is applied to the base of the lashes, and patients usually start to see results in a few weeks. The effects of Latisse are not permanent, so regular use is necessary. Eyelashes will return to normal after the patient stops applying Latisse.

Contact Dr. Stacy Cosmetic in Bellevue, Washington for more info and special pricing for Latisse. (Before and after photo via latisse.com)

Latisse made its way to the market inadvertently, and now its set to become hugely popular.  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 was first labeled a ‘complication’ or side effect of using prostaglandins 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.  In one early study, 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.

Contact Dr. Stacy Cosmetic for more information on Latisse in Maple Valley, Washington.

This is a clip of dermatologist Jessica Wu showcasing the new eyelash enhancement drug ‘Latisse’ on the The Doctors TV show.

Latisse can give you “crazy long spidery lashes” in just 4 months, says Dr. Wu.  As shown in the video,  you apply Latisse to the base of the upper eyelashes once each night, “just like liquid eyeliner.” The results should yield lashes that are 25 percent longer and 100 percent thicker.

See the video for a before & after photo; it is quite impressive! If you are interested in learning more about Latisse in Maple Valley, Washington, call or email our office.

Brooke Shields, Mandy Moore, Marisa Tomei, and other big name celebs attended a Hollywood charity event last March to help launch the Latisse Wishes campaign – a charitable cause to support the Make-A-Wish foundation and generate interest in the new eyelash enhancement drug.

Latisse is Allergan’s latest offering, and 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 no coincidence that the Make-A-Wish foundation was chosen as a beneficiary for Allergan’s campaign; the superstitious “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 at our office in Maple Valley, WA; give us a call for more information.