Commercials for Latisse—that new prescription drug that can give patients longer, darker lashes—have been freaking me out for months, and it's good to know I'm not alone. Consumer Reports Health Blog wrote up a
post about Latisse and its misleading ads, the result of a magazine and television campaign that drastically downplays the medication's side effects and looks more like a Maybelline spot.
Background: Latisse's eyelash-enhancing properties were actually an accidental discovery. The drug debuted in 2001 as Lumigan, a glaucoma medication that turned out to have unexpected cosmetic properties among users.
Now, in order for a drug to be a drug (and not, um, mascara), Latisse has to treat a medical condition (or diagnose it, or cure it, etc.), which is where hypotrichosis comes in—it's the medical term for the "inadequate or not enough lashes" described in the commercial. But even though Latisse is a full-on prescription drug, its commercial makes it look more like a beauty product, as Consumer Reports points out.
Some scary Latisse facts:
- It's expensive. Latisse costs $100 a month (though some of that could be covered by insurance) and takes 12 to 16 weeks to take effect—that's $300 to $400.
- It has crazy-permanent (albeit rare) side effects. The commercial's "eyelid skin darkening," which "may be reversible," occurs on both the upper and lower lids. Basically—some users wound up with raccoon eyes. And it can change your eye color to brown (or browner), permanently.
- It works... wherever you put it. If you drip some Latisse elsewhere on your face, that hair might wind up fuller and darker. According to Consumer Reports, anyway—it's not a theory I want to test.
Check out Consumer Reports' video above for more info. And here's a video of the full TV spot:
What do you think of Latisse? Is the commercial misleading?
Comments (48)
the side effects are in teeeeeny tiny fine print.
but i wouldn't try it at all.
okay, first of all, that report is a little off. that $100+ you shell out for a lash grower is supposed to last you about half a year, because you're only applying a thin streak to your eye lids where the lashes grow. some people use these because they undergo chemotherapy and lose most of the hairs on their body. yes, it stings, but yes, it also works. everything has side effects. if you're allergic to something, you will have side effects, and everyone's body make-up is different, so that argument is completely pointless. and third, its not liquid, so there's only a small chance you would wind up applying latisse or any lash grower anywhere other than your lash line. IT DOESN'T DRIP. you'd have to use a massive amount to see a significant hair growth, one drip of it isn't going to change anything. i despise it when people put up posts like this to seem intelligent, when in fact A) they haven't tried it B) they haven't done the research C) they are against it because its a form of enhancement, and supposedly its not natural. please, get your facts straight cause there's two sides to everything.
So if I "accidently" dab some on my eyebrows, they're grow fuller and darker?
@dearFLOPPY@xanga - It's not liquid eh? Then it's a solid? No. A Gas? No. Right... that's because it's a liquid. All matter comes in one or more of those three forms: Solid, Liquid or Gas. Mascara is a liquid as well. Now, your argument is asking people to get their facts straight and right here I've proven that you were unaware, by your own statement previously, that Latisse is a liquid.
Additionally the fine folks at Consumer Reports aren't a bunch of crazy old cat ladies who have nothing better to do than "pick on" anyone. I'm more than willing to bet that they have clinical research on their side. How much clinical research have you done? Have you, youself tried the product and are you willing to personally guarantee its safety to consumers?
Personally regarding Latisse... if they want to pay Brooke Shields to hock their wares, and she's willing to do it, ok. As with any "medication" that is advertised on TV, you have to consider a number of things prior to discussing it with your physician. The first thing is their marketing budget. The company has spent a boat-load of money to advertise this medication. Is there a generic available? What is the active ingredient? Does the active ingredient have any negative side-effects and what are they? Your doctor should have what is called a PDR: Physician's Desk Reference. It used to be a book and I'm sure is now online for ease of updating, that lists EVERY medication available, what it looks like, what its active and inactive ingredients are, what it is supposed to do and any and all --known-- side effects of the medication. If you are discussing ANY medication with your doctor and he/she doesn't look up this information for you, consider a different doctor.
And dearFLOPPY... please learn more about the three states of matter prior to posting to keep yourself from sounding ridiculous. (solid, liquid, gas...)
@FunkySistah@xanga - i don't think i said anything about guaranteeing the safety of this product for any consumer, and i thought i had mentioned that it is indeed a gel, not a liquid-like substance such as water, but i missed it and hadn't put that in. actually i personally have never used it myself, but i have friends who have undergone chemotherapy that have used the product, and it does make a significant difference. so yes, i do know that it works for some people. all i said was that the benefits of latisse were completely ignored - i thought you would've caught that in my comment.
@WhenHateIsTheOnlyOption@xanga - they will grow thicker if you apply regularly on your eyebrows. it promotes growth in areas that are void of hairs too.
these commercials have scared me for awhile. The risks seem more than the benefit. There are other ways to have longer eye lashes. Mascara. Expensive mascara can help. Even fake eye lashes. Idk. That may just be me. But I would never try this.
Eek! No no no! I love my hazel eyecolor, no way am I giving it up!
@dearFLOPPY@xanga - I didn't realize that some Latisse users were chemotherapy patients, but that's a very good point. I was sort of picturing a bunch of bored women whose eyebrows were already fine to begin with.
I don't think it's worth the risks, personally. Each to their own I suppose, but I think it's a bit ridiculous, because everyone I've talked about this product with, including guys, don't really notice a girl's eyelashes anyway, it's not like it's some major feature that will make guys fall at your feet or anything. But if a person is aware of the risks, and still willing to try it to make them feel better about themselves or whatever, more power to 'em.
@shark - i know people who's gone through chemo and their eyelashes grew back without the use of this...
and i'd be too freaked out to put that near my eyes... i'd stick to mascara (:
Ridiculous.
Wait, if I stop using it, my eyelashes are going to go back to their shorty selves?
Eh. I'll stick with my mascara.
I've seen these commercials online and they are terrifying. How anyone could think this is better than throwing on some mascara or simply being okay with how you are already is beyond me. The amount of risks for something so stupid...
@dearFLOPPY@xanga - I don't think they were trying to give a false sense of intelligence.
I mean, honestly, I just think they're challenging you to decide whether you think it's worth the risk or not.
Let's look at a couple of things, though:
1.) The product is mostly targeted at women who feel that their lashes are inadequate, not chemo patients. If people who have undergone chemotherapy feel the need to use this product to make their eyebrows grow back quicker, then more power to them, but pretty eyelashes?
2.) There wouldn't be such a response if there weren't a simpler and safer and more cost-efficient way to do this. If Latisse were the ONLY way women could lengthen their eyelashes, I'm sure much more people would be willing to take the risk.
creeepy
WTF. we already have mascara and false eyelashes. solutions that don't require you to ingest a prescription drug and alter your body in who knows how many ways. as for chemotherapy patients, i'm sure they have a lot more to worry about than their nonexistent lashes. i would assume that they take life a little less for granted than the rest of the population. weird.
I've always found my lack of thick eyelashes to be unfortunate but I don't think I would go to those lengths just to turn it around. Thank goodness for consumer reports!
I thought the side effects (and how this medication was discovered to be good for growing eyelashes) were all very well known. I don't think I've met anyone who knew something about this product who wasn't aware of these facts.
I would not try this product, simply because while longer, fuller, thicker lashes might be the fashion goal of today it is not worth the side effects.
Also, taking medication for something you do not have can also be detrimental to your health sometimes. In some cases taking medicine you don't need for an ailment you do not have can cause you develop a completely separate ailment. In other cases it can cause you to develop the very ailment that the medication is used to treat/cure in the first place. This can take years to occur, but I don't want to take such a risk.
I'm not that vain. :p
I personally wouldn't, but someone else mentioned people with Cancer I guess it would make sense for them to use this product, but I feel people shouldn't look at it as a beauty product, it should really only be used for people who lost their hair from something. :/
i don't think it's misleading. a commercial (for any drug product) isn't going to give you every explicit detail. for anything medical, people should do their research.
freaky
i'd never try it. darkening my eyes? that's not for me.
it scares me.
i wrote about this a few months ago.... i still find it okay.