Lumigan/Latisse - Reported Problems
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free skin care · Sat Jun 20, 2009 6:07 am

I found the study showing loss of periorbital fat (fat around the eye)

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18645437

I certainly think losing fullness around the eye would age me far more quickly than shorter lashes.

Also, I have green eyes and prefer not to have them permanently change to brown AND I am not interested in reddish pigmentation around my eyes that *may* or *may not* be reversible according to the product literature.

I think I will hold off on using this product until more reports are in.

If you are experiencing side effects, please share them here.

What other alternatives exist to Latisse/Lumigan?

Thanks, BF

free skin care · Sat Jun 20, 2009 6:23 am

Forgot to mention lashes shedding Sad

BF

free skin care · Sat Jun 20, 2009 7:05 am

I heard about the change in pigmentation and of eyelid darkening, but I hadn't heard about the shedding.
I too am interested if anyone has tried this. I have very sparse lashes (try almost nonexistent) and would love to have a fuller set.
I was going to ask my doc when I went in in a few weeks.
My hubby saw the commercial and freaked on all the side effects!

free skin care · Sat Jun 20, 2009 10:15 am

I wasn't aware of the fat loss chance...I'll have to read that. Thanks for sharing!

I have been using the OLD version of Revitalash which contains a Lumigan derivative for 18 months and can share the following:

- I definitely have darkening of the skin around my upper and lower lashlines. I am fair skinned, so it actually looks red. Easily hidden, thank goodness.

- My lashes do shed periodically, but I have found that to be a small price to pay for the gorgeous lashes the rest of the time.

- I have blue eyes, and I personally think they may be a bit darker/less bright blue. But it can't be much, because I still get lots of unsolicited comments on my eye color.

- I have my eyes scanned at my eye doctor each year, and he looks for all kinds of weird things...there have been no negative changes at all in the health of my eyes since I started using this.

free skin care · Sat Jun 20, 2009 10:20 am

Thanks for posting Barefoot. It certainly bears watching, but the study only included 5 patients and it was done with glaucoma patients, most of which are elderly and use the drops IN the eye, not on the lashes.

It's good to know though, so that we can minimize the risk by using the least amount possible and applying it carefully to avoid eye exposure to it.

To hedge it a little I do the eye massage and exercises from FE to build the tissues around the eye and hopefully! prevent the hollow-eyed look.

free skin care · Sat Jun 20, 2009 11:26 am

Yes, it is a small sample, but I was thinking about it from the perspective that Latisse is just now coming into widespread acceptance, so presumably where there is smoke, there could later be fire - and facial fat loss is something I watch for anyway.

BF

free skin care · Sat Jun 20, 2009 3:05 pm

Should Lumigan/Latisse be used for some time and then take a break before going back to it? It sounds like people who have had long lashes all of a sudden found that their lash length diminishes after 5 or 6 months use from the Lumigan thread. I wonder if that's the norm.

Tue Jun 30, 2009 5:36 pm

I've been using Lumigan for a few months now and haven't noticed any side effects, including loss of lashes. I suspect I've escaped that because I took the advice of a thread here where it was recommended you not use it every day.

I wouldn't mind the fat loss side effect. I've been wishing I could get rid of the extra fat between the eyelid and eyebrow so I wouldn't look so darn tired!

free skin care · Tue Jun 30, 2009 7:36 pm

I can see how putting a drop directly into the eye would be more likely to cause a color change but even those who do that have a rather low risk. My mother uses them and her eyes are the same green as always.

I've been using an older revitalash (same as Bethany) and have not noticed anything except maybe a slight color change along upper lash line - very minor. No shedding that I can report but I read something a while back that its part of the cycle and normal. It was an old thread and comprehensive about the cycle of eyelashes.

I get compliments on my eyelashes and so I'm rather hooked - on this and also on 1000 hr lash for a little darkening.

Sat Jul 25, 2009 1:46 pm

I have been using Latisse for about six months. The good: my lashes are definitely longer. I DO have the fat loss--and by the way this site is the first I have heard about that...so thank you--but for me it's a total positive. I was actually thinking of getting eye lid surgery as I have those kind of crepy hanging over lids. One of the first things I noticed after using latisse for several weeks what my "overhang" went away. I actually have a real lid. I was shocked and amazed...I looked all over to see if anyone else was having this same result. I actually have it more pronounced on one side than another. The bad: now (at about six months out) I feel like my lashes are either shedding or breaking. Don't know if this is normal. I'm hoping it's just some sort of cycle. I use the product M/W/F now and the lashes seem shorter w/ more holes. HOpe this is temporary. I also am fair skinned with blue eyes. There is definetely a reddish/brownish skin coloration that has taken place immed. around my eyes. I just treat it as eye liner and don't sweat that too much. I use a very fine applicator brush and keep it very close to my eyes. No iris color change. Anyone else with similar results?

free skin care · Sat Jul 25, 2009 2:13 pm

thank you cbags for this report. Sis

free skin care · Sat Jul 25, 2009 4:35 pm

cbags wrote:

The bad: now (at about six months out) I feel like my lashes are either shedding or breaking. Don't know if this is normal. I'm hoping it's just some sort of cycle. I use the product M/W/F now and the lashes seem shorter w/ more holes. HOpe this is temporary. I also am fair skinned with blue eyes. There is definetely a reddish/brownish skin coloration that has taken place immed. around my eyes. I just treat it as eye liner and don't sweat that too much. I use a very fine applicator brush and keep it very close to my eyes. No iris color change. Anyone else with similar results?

You may want to back off usage to once a week, as maintenance.

Lash loss seems to be common, after a certain amount of time, using the product, and from recommendations I have read online from others that use it, after 4 months of usage, application is reduced to once a week to prevent this side effect.

free skin care · Sat Jul 25, 2009 5:29 pm

Fat loss on your eyelid Shock

. Boy I hope that happens to me..That would save me a lot of money and pain.. I need that overhang on my eyelid taken care of.

free skin care · Sun Aug 16, 2009 4:03 am

I really think this will eventually be pulled from the market as a cosmetic use,it will still be used for glaucoma. I think everyone should be ordering a little extra before it gets jerked off the market.

free skin care · Sun Aug 16, 2009 2:32 pm

I agree with the view that this will eventually be pulled from the market for cosmentic use. It really requires careful management, because the potential side effects are serious.

One thing that I have not seen mentioned is how important it is to maintain strict hygiene with this product. Make sure you wash your brush, and never put the brush on the tip of the bottle (this applies to Lumigan; I haven't actually seen a bottle of Latisse). This is your eye area, for heaven's sake! The last thing you need is infection due to a contaminated product.

free skin care · Sun Aug 16, 2009 4:58 pm

One of the members on this board, I wish I could remember her name, posted that she was having darkening of her green eyes. She was even so kind as to post a photo.

Based on her review, and my eye color, I have decided to pass. This new news also makes me nervous. I will continue to look for something a little less harsh for the lashes.

Fri Aug 28, 2009 5:53 pm

I have never used Lumigan/Latisse, but I did use Lilash. I am not sure what prostaglandin analogue is used in that particular product, but my side effects were so similar to what I have seen reported about Lumigan/Latisse that I feel it's worth sharing.

I used Lilash for exactly six days. Around day three, I began experiencing extreme light sensitivity and dark circles under my eyes. The light sensitivity remained the same, but by day seven (after six nights of using Lilash) my dark circles were so bad that I discontinued the product. They were a reddish/purple color, and unlike anything I've ever experienced or seen before.

At the time, I wasn't aware of this forum, and all the other info I was finding on side effects was primarily limited to the red eyeliner effect and other generalized irritation. No one seemed to be complaining of dark circles and light sensitivity. So I started looking at the medical/glaucoma forums.

I found that my side effects were very common, especially dark circles with Lumigan. I also saw that many patients using the prostaglandin drops (Lumigan, Xalatan) were advised by their doctors to apply a rich cream to their eyes before using the drops, wait several minutes to allow the drops time to absorb, and then *wash the eye area* in order to avoid the fat loss in the periorbital area. The study you linked to was very small, but apparently it's a side-effect that is common enough that patients are getting "unofficial advice" from their doctors and fellow eyedrops users.

Overall, the information I got from the glaucoma forums made me realize that the prostaglandins are very powerful drugs, and while the side effects (including lash growth) might be acceptable as opposed to the alternative - going blind - they aren't anything that I want to mess with anymore.

BTW: a previous poster mentioned that most glaucoma patients are elderly. Any time spent in the medical forums will quickly show that that simply is not true, and that glaucoma strikes patients of all ages, including teens.

free skin care · Fri Aug 28, 2009 9:22 pm

MarieIG wrote:

One of the members on this board, I wish I could remember her name, posted that she was having darkening of her green eyes. She was even so kind as to post a photo.

Based on her review, and my eye color, I have decided to pass. This new news also makes me nervous. I will continue to look for something a little less harsh for the lashes.

That would be me.. But I really think I am the one off, because I haven't heard any other color change complaints here, anyway.. I think if used sparingly, responsibly and not too regularly, most people can benefit.. For me it was probably stupid to use it, because my lashes were just as long and dense before I used it.. Then came the spindly look, shedding, and finally now I'm back to where I started more than a year ago.. (Haven't used it in a couple of months.)

The top picture is from just under a year ago, before I noticed any color change. (It's not a great picture, but hopefully you can see the color is 'all' green..) The bottom picture is showing what looks like a reddish discoloration spreading out from the pupil. In person it looks amber, and quite like the spokes of a wheel. MY camera sucks, and just doesn't show color well (or more than likely I don't know what the hell I'm doing. Embarassed

) , but my natural eye color is a dark grassy green.

Fri Feb 05, 2010 8:26 am

I have used up an entire bottle,and I have been happy with the results.My right eye has better lashes than my left eye even though I try to favor the left lashes in an effort to make them thicker.My lids got red,but so what? I am careful not to get it into my eyes as they are green,I use a Kleenex to absorb any that may get in my eye.It is too expensive and I think that the price could be lowered by eliminating all of the brushes. I use about one a week and I have never had an infection.My doctor checked for lowered eye pressure,which kind of scared me.The lashes are beautiful though.

free skin care · Fri Feb 05, 2010 5:27 pm

hi all...
i'm new at eyelash growth and have been using revitalash for about 2 months (first time user). i use it daily. i kept noticing that my lids were getting thinner but thought it was my imagination. i think i read all the eyelash threads on eds, each several times over and never noticed such a comment regarding fat/lipid loss of the eyelids.

so i passed it off as 'skin changes due to maturity'. whether it be maturing skin or revitalash, my lids are getting thinner... i'm asian so i have a single fold eyelid. now my eyelids are so thin that they are trying to make double folds.

i do realize that mature aging asians experience this naturally... but i have never noticed this till i started using revitalash.

Tue Nov 02, 2010 12:27 pm

i have been using latisse for 7 months. i had short lashes to begin with and an area where they had fallen out over my pupil. at first i was very impressed with latisse. my lashes were coarser thicker and longer from months 3-6. the lashes filled in and were amazing to me! i experienced a few days of itchy lids as the new lashes were erupting and darkening of the eyeliner area. now, the longer lashes have fallen out they are thin again and i have noticed changes in my lid. the skin looks like chicken skin! small bumps and wrinkly skin. i thought the latisse may be sprouting hairs where it touched on my upper lid. now, i think that the skin looks thiner. also, i have white bumps on my lash line (i thought these were new lashes waiting to come out but they are lingering). Crying or Very sad

i am considering stopping. i am 41 and my lids are looking OLDER.

free skin care · Tue Nov 02, 2010 12:57 pm

I have posted a few times about the side effects but here goes I wouldn't risk using any of these prostaglandins in most lash enhancers and my eyes are so dark brown they are verging on black! Lumigan and Latisse are both made by Allergen.

in partnership with Health.com Integrated Solutions

http://www.righthealth.com/topic/lumigan/Side-Effects

Lumigan : Side Effects
Overview Proper Use Precautions Side Effects Reference Patient Experiences Video Guides & Articles
Pharmacist-reviewed article from RightHealth and American Academy of Health System Pharmacists
Bimatoprost Ophthalmic Guide: Possible Side Effects
Bimatoprost may cause side effects. Tell your doctor if any of these symptoms are severe or do not go away: itchy eyesdry eyesburning eyeseye pain or irritationeye tearingheadaches
Some side effects can be serious. The following symptoms are uncommon, but if you experience any of them, call your doctor immediately: sensitivity to lightpink eyeredness or swelling of the eyelid
Bimatoprost may change the color of your eye (to brown) and darken the skin around the eye. It may also cause your eyelashes to grow longer and thicker and darken in color. These changes usually occur slowly, but they may be permanent. If you use bimatoprost in only one eye, you should know that there may be a difference between your eyes after taking bimatoprost. Call your doctor if you notice these changes.
Bimatoprost may cause other side effects. Call your doctor if you have any unusual problems while using this medication.
READ COMPLETE ARTICLE »

free skin care · Tue Nov 02, 2010 6:27 pm

Barefootgirl wrote:

Yes, it is a small sample, but I was thinking about it from the perspective that Latisse is just now coming into widespread acceptance, so presumably where there is smoke, there could later be fire - and facial fat loss is something I watch for anyway.

BF

While Latisse may have recently come into widespread existence, the active ingredient bimatoprost, has been used for glaucoma for many, many years. If there is a fire out there, it has been burning for years.

free skin care · Tue Nov 02, 2010 6:49 pm

It's one thing if you NEED it for a serious medical condition and are under the care of your doctor, it's quite another to risk side effects, some possibly serious just to have long lashes. IMHO

Mon Aug 01, 2011 11:44 am

Hi i hope somebody can help with my query when using Lumigan for glaucoma it says must be discarded after 30days would the same apply if using for eyelash growth? I have a bottle which i opended a while ago and only used it a couple of times would it be safe to continue using it.

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