The eyes are the windows to the soul and a critical part of the beauty of your face. Because of this, many cultures from ages back have used different forms of makeup to accentuate beautiful lashes. It had primarily been important to women, but today, even men are after the beauty that comes with accentuated eyes. The beauty of the eyes is based on the eyebrows and the eyelashes.

The eyelashes are especially key in the beauty of the eyes because they provide volume and shape to your eye. You can get artificial eyelashes, like eyebrows that can be drawn. The struggle becomes worse if you have hypotrichosis of the eyelashes. However, there has not been a long-term solution for eyelashes until recently. Currently, only one known long-term solution is approved for use—LATISSE®.

What Is Hypotrichosis?

Hypotrichosis is a condition that affects the growth and quality of hair on your body. People are usually born with the condition as a genetic disorder. While hypotrichosis affects the hair on your body, it can specifically affect your facial hair, especially the eyelashes. 

What Causes Eyelash Hypotrichosis?

Despite being a genetic disorder, specific conditions or situations can trigger hypotrichosis. 

These include:

• Eyelid inflammation.
• Aging.
• Hormonal fluctuations or changes in the body triggered by menopause, among others.
• Rough or unhealthy makeup removal techniques.
• Reaction towards certain makeup products.
• Overusing an eyelash curler.

As with anything affecting beauty, there is a lot of content online that speaks about lengthening or thickening your eyelashes. Influencers on social media have commonly been touting natural remedies like coconut oil or activated charcoal. Despite this prevalence, most are just trying to make a buck. Many of the solutions being peddled out are not scientifically backed up.

What Is LATISSE?

LATISSE, also known as bimatoprost, is the only science-backed and FDA-approved medical treatment for eyelash hypotrichosis. It is a serum you apply daily to your eyelashes, boosting their growth. It is the only product of its kind and is only available by prescription. So, to get this excellent treatment option, you need to talk to your doctor first to ascertain you are a good candidate.

How Does LATISSE Affect Your Eyelashes?

LATISSE works best while you sleep. You are advised to apply it to the base of your upper eyelashes every night before sleep. Gradually over the treatment period, you will start to see the differences in the quality of your eyelashes. By the fourth week, you should see some change, and at about the sixteenth week, experts say you should have full lash growth. 

How Does LATISSE Work?

The alternative name of LATISSE, bimatoprost, is a reference to the main active ingredient in the serum. The ingredient is responsible for making lash growth possible in patients with hypotrichosis. Despite being the active ingredient, the specific mechanism of how it achieves this is still unknown. 

The working theory is that bimatoprost affects the growth phase of the eyelashes. The growth phase of the eyelashes is called the anagen phase, and it is one of three. The phase involves rapid cell differentiation and proliferation, lasting about one to two months. During this time, the length of your eyelashes is determined. Bimatoprost affects this stage in two main ways. First, it lengthens the growth phase significantly, increasing the number of hairs that can grow in this phase. 

For more about how LATISSE eye drops can help with hypotrichosis, visit Eyecare Center Optometrist, PSC, at our offices in Richmond, Lexington, Beattyville, Irvine, or McKee, Kentucky. Call (859) 208-2020, (859) 623-6643, (859) 272-2449, (606) 464-8148, (606) 726-9321, or (606) 287-8477 to book an appointment today.