Want Gorgeous, Sweeping Eyelashes? Look No Further

What a wonderful world we are living in, where technology seems to have the answer to almost any need and no request is too small.

When my son Geoff was a young boy, he had the thickest, most gorgeous eyelashes ever made by God. Meeting him, women would exclaim, “I would kill for eyelashes like that!” Geoff grew up with an enormous amount of self-esteem centered on that exceptional fringe of hair. Now, 20 years later, he still has beautiful eyelashes – and we who don’t, have options.

Undeniably, the eyelashes can be a beautiful frame to the eyes and are considered part of the aesthetic of the face. In the pursuit of beauty, women have used kohls and mascaras for decades to enhance the eyes.

But if simply making the lashes look thicker and longer leaves you wanting more, a transplant may be the solution. Actual eyelash transplants were first done in the ’60s for burn victims; now, they are being done for purely cosmetic purposes. The down side? Cost (approximately $3,000 per eye) and you have to trim your lashes!! Hair follicles are transplanted from your head to your lash line, where they will continue to grow in the same way they did on your head (straight or curly with continuous growth).

A less dramatic, and less expensive, alternative is the eyelash extension. In this procedure, hair is permanently bonded to your existing lashes. An extension is time-consuming and can cost several hundred dollars. While this gives you longer lashes, they are only semi-permanent and are lost as your natural eyelashes shed and renew during normal hair cycles.

In recent years, lash conditioners have entered the scene, promising more than the cosmetics. They speak of actually growing longer, thicker lashes, not just creating a temporarily improved appearance. A cross between a cosmetic (mascara) and a drug – now called a cosmeceutical – they promise more yet stop short of offering real change in the body.

Allergan (the creator of BOTOX®) recently revealed that it has been working for four years on an eyelash growing prescription drug. The topical solution evolved from a medication used for the treatment of the eye disease glaucoma because patients experienced thicker eyelashes as a side effect of using the drug. The waters have been muddied between the cosmeceutical thickener (the so-called lash conditioner) and the drug, and now Allergan is suing nine lash conditioner manufacturers, claiming that they are putting this drug into their product without proper authorization or FDA approval. The FDA has stepped in and confiscated some of these products!

Allergan is moving forward along FDA channels to prove that their product works and is safe. We can expect to see this new prescription eyelash growth drug next summer, if all goes well. Expected cost could be around $150 per tube. In the meantime there are a few “conditioners” on the market and, just possibly, some of them do what they say.

Lest you blink and miss it, check EVLiving.com or VanDykeLaser.com regularly for more news on the lash front!

Susan Van Dyke, M.D. has performed more than 10,000 procedures with liquid face lift products, including BOTOX® and advanced dermal fillers such as Restylane®, Juvedermtm, Sculptra® and ArteFill®. Founder of Van Dyke Laser & Skin (vandykelaser.com), one of the first dermatology practices in the world to focus exclusively on cosmetic dermatology and a recognized pioneer in the industry, Dr. Van Dyke is a sought-after guest expert for television, radio, print and e-magazine features on a wide assortment of anti-aging, skin care and beauty topics. For 23 consecutive years, she has received the “Physician’s Recognition Award” from the American Medical Association. She can be reached at drvandyke@vandykelaser.com or 480.948.5045.