Pharmaceutical companies sometimes dread side effects of medications, but occasionally, they stumble on a gold mine. Patients noticed a curious side effect of the glaucoma medicine Lumigan; they developed darker longer and thicker eyelashes. Allergan, the company that produces Lumigan, used the same active ingredient in Lumigan to create Latisse, which has been approved by the FDA for application onto the upper eyelids to treat people with sparse eyelashes.
Irritation
The Latisse official website instructs users to apply Latisse to the upper eyelid only. Some people experience reddened and irritated skin after putting the solution on the skin of the eyelids. According to USA Today, the irritation is temporary and abates after users stop applying the liquid. Occasionally, users experience dry and red eyes in addition to irritated skin.
Increased Pigmentation
Some users of the drug report that the skin of their eyelids darkens after using Latisse. The Allergan website notes that the increased pigmentation is temporary and that after users stop applying Latisse, the skin returns to its normal appearance.
Latisse is a liquid and sometimes it drips down into the eye itself. When this happens, increased brown eye pigmentation can result. The change is most apparent in people with light colored eyes: blue eyes might turn brown, and hazel colored eyes get darker. Unlike the deepened skin pigmentation, the eye color changes are likely permanent, according to Allergan.
Unexpected Hair Growth
Latisse enhances eyelash grown on the upper eyelid. It also encourages hair growth when it drips onto other areas. Some users report hair growth around and below the eyes, according to the official Allergan website.
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