Latisse Tips from Dr. Jenny

Latisse (bimatoprost) is wonderful and it works beautifully. If you haven’t tried it, you should absolutely consider it. There is really no truth to the rumor that Latisse changes eye or iris color – no scientific evidence supports this with eyelid use, and millions of people have used it without any reports of this effect.  I have come up with some information about and tips for using Latisse that will help you extend the life of your bottle, and give fewer side effects:

LATISSE (BIMATOPROST) FAQs:

HOW DO I APPLY LATISSE?

First of all: don’t use the brushes that come with your Latisse; use a thin eyeliner brush. You will use less of the product, and can get the Latisse on to your eyelash line more accurately.

Second: Apply at bedtime when your skin is clean and you have finished applying all skin care products.

Third: Put a drop of Latisse on your brush

Fourth: Paint a thin line of fluid along the UPPER eyelid at the base of the eyelashes.

NOTE:  I like the Sephora bent eyeliner brush (Pro Bent Liner Brush), but any well-made thin make-up brush will do. The Sephora brush comes with a little plastic cap that you can put a drop of Latisse in to, then dip your brush in the Latisse and paint it on to the top lid right at the lash line.
If you do not have a Sephora brush lid, use a small plastic container, like a water bottle cap, to put a drop or two of Latisse in (one of my patients said she uses the dimple in the top of the Latisse cap). Rinse and air-dry your brush and your container after every use. Do not leave it out open in your bathroom where toilet bacteria can get on it! Cleanliness is important when using any product on your face, especially near your eyes.

HOW LONG WILL A BOTTLE OF LATISSE LAST?

If you use a small brush, you can often paint both eyelids with just one drop of fluid, which will save a significant amount of product so a 3 ml bottle will last longer: 2-3 months. Buying a 5 ml bottle is even less expensive and will last longer, obviously.

CAN YOU USE LATISSE ANYWHERE ELSE?

If you want to use Latisse on your eyebrows, it WILL increase brow hair growth. One drop is usually enough to paint on both brows. Try to avoid getting Latisse anywhere you don’t want hair to grow. Wipe off any Latisse that gets outside the brow or lash area you want to treat.

Technically you are NOT supposed to use Latisse on lower lids. This is because the product is more likely to leak in to the eye itself, which it will not do if you are using it on the upper eyelid only.

IS IT DANGEROUS IF YOU GET LATISSE IN YOUR EYES?

No – it was originally developed for use in the eyes for glaucoma, and is not going to harm your eyes if you get a little in by accident.

HOW LONG DOES LATISSE TAKE TO WORK?

You may notice an effect in as little as a month. Full growth usually comes 3-4 months after starting. Once your lashes are as long as you want them, you can start use Latisse every other day or even every 3 days to maintain your lashes. This will make your bottle last longer.

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN I STOP USING LATISSE?

Your eyelashes will go back to normal. You can use Latisse indefinitely as long as you don’t have any side effects.

WHAT ARE THE SIDE EFFECTS?

Side effects of Latisse:
1. It can cause some itching and occasionally dry skin. Applying before bed will reduce itching. If it causes flaking or irritation of the skin, reduce use to every 2-3 days. If it still irritates the skin stop using it.
2. Some people get a darker color (reddish)  of the skin where they paint the Latisse. Sometimes this just looks like eyeliner, and is not necessarily a problem (some people like how it looks). Using a thin eyeliner brush so less skin is exposed to Latisse can reduce this. Wipe off any excess Latisse that gets on the skin around the eyes. If that doesn’t help, decrease frequency of use to every 2-3 days. If you stop using the product the effect will go away. It is not permanent.

Sun, Vitamin D, sun damage, and sunscreens

       At this point in the season we absolutely need some sunlight! We’ve probably all had a low grade Vitamin D deficiency during our long winter, and the sun’s UV B light will help us make Vitamin D through the skin, and fix that deficit. Sunlight is good for people and makes us happy. I want everyone to get out there and get some of that good stuff with this great weather. However, we should all know by now that excessive sun exposure causes skin cancer, premature aging, dark spots and wrinkles. So what IS excessive sun exposure? The answer to that depends on so many variables that it is not really possible to tell any one person exactly how long he or she can spend in the sun safely. However, I found interesting formula on-line, which calculates how much unblocked sunlight you NEED to make your daily requirement of vitamin D, based on wearing t-shirt and shorts. I found it fun to do, and it gives you an idea of the factors that affect your sun exposure: 

http://nadir.nilu.no/~olaeng/fastrt/VitD-ez_quartMED.html

         You have to look up your latitude/longitude, and add some other information: the date, your surroundings (lawn, concrete, old snow or new snow?), and other non-intuitive and intuitive factors. I plugged myself in to real winter: mid-January, partly cloudy skies, Worcester, MA and came out with 52 minutes of midday sun needed (on face, hands and arms) to make the necessary Vitamin D. Then I plugged in today’s actual date March 27, and found I only I needed 8 minutes of midday sun to make my daily D. To be generous, I could double that and say that’s all I need without sunscreen (especially since I’m not wearing shorts and a T-shirt just yet). And since I’m likely to spend more than 16 minutes outdoors just walking my dogs, it is absolutely time to start wearing sunscreen.

         I spend my time trying to improve the wrinkles and signs of age in people with some of the most amazing medical cosmetic products around, but I would rather prevent them, by teaching people to use good sunscreen. You may be young and think you will never have to worry about these things, but you’ll thank me later in life. Sunblock works. People who use it have less signs of aging, and less skin cancer.

        

         So what’s the best sunscreen to use? First of all, you need at least an SPF of 15, but don’t need more than an SPF of 30. SPF means sun protection factor and an SPF of 15 means you can spend 15 times longer in the sun before you burn compared to when you have no sunblock on. How long is that? As I described above, it’s different for everyone. I recommend a water resistant “physical barrier”, which is something with either zinc oxide alone or zinc oxide and titanium dioxide.  These are safe for everyone, because the skin does not absorb them, so they’re non-toxic, and they really block out dangerous rays and prevent cancer, brown age spots and wrinkles. There are 15 other FDA-approved chemical barriers that work to block UV A and UV B light, and you want to make sure your sunblock blocks BOTH UV A and UV B, because they are both responsible for skin cancer. Remember that UV A can cross glass, unless it’s tinted to screen out UV light, so you are getting sun exposure even when you’re driving in your car. It’s important to wear your sunblock on long car rides even in the winter! And re-apply that sunblock every 3-4 hours, or if you are swimming or sweating every 2 hours.

        But what if you already have sun-damaged skin from your carefree youth? Well, there are lots of medical and cosmetic products to improve the wrinkles, hyperpigmentation and tiny spider veins that come with sun exposure and time. I would be happy to discuss them with you as well. In the meantime you can prevent further damage for the cost of a bottle of good sunscreen (I’ve got that too, and would be happy to provide you with some!).

-Dr. Jenny