There is something about the new cosmetic “option” for thicker eyelashes that bothers me, though I’m not sure what it is.
Perhaps it’s the resistance I still feel after leaving behind those false lashes I wore while modeling with Wilhelmina in the 70s. Or maybe wearing my current hat as a psychologist, it doesn’t fit with my belief that women can find true beauty within. Yet, my patients in their 20’s and 30’s insist, “Hey, it’s great. Why not have beautiful lashes without having to apply mascara?” Older women claim, “My lashes have thinned and it helps me get back to what I used to have naturally.”
Undeniably, the reviews on these products — including Latisse, Lilash, Revitalash and Marini Lash to name a few — are largely positive. Except for a few complaints about mild irritation, allergic reactions, and occasional permanent eye color change, most report they are satisfied by the thicker and darker lashes they see as long as they keep using the product.
Some women don’t realize that Latisse, (the first of lash thickeners to be FDA approved), was a drug originally intended for glaucoma. An unexpected side effect was that it was found to increase the growth of eyelashes. It was then approved to treat hypotrichosis, (a technical term for medical hair loss), and over time has been prescribed to treat what marketers call “inadequate eyelashes.” Much the way Retin-A cream and Botox (produced by the same company that created Latisse) once served to treat medical symptoms, Latisse now routinely serves cosmetic purposes. Miracle drug? Or another slippery slope for women to slide down?
I have no trouble with the idea that there are products and procedures that enhance a woman’s natural beauty. In fact, I accept the fact that women are probably hard wired to pay attention to how we look and that we need to take care of our appearance in ways that feel appropriate for our age.
Take Victoria’s Secret, for example, and the many bras they now offer for women of all sizes, shapes and ages. Are there any reasons why a woman, who doesn’t mind a little push or tug, shouldn’t enjoy sexy underwear options that were unavailable to previous generations? Spanx doesn’t bother me either. Women say the squeezing and constriction are worth the shaping it provides. In fact, compared to the ungainly padded bras and girdles of yesteryear, these seem more appealing to today’s women who are interested in making efforts toward looking great at any age.
Where I have trouble is when women ask my thoughts about unalterable cosmetic procedures; breast implants, liposuction, brow and facelifts. I am concerned when patients talk about the constant surgical work they have done to upkeep their various body parts – for example, adding “hand rejuvenation” to their list so that their aging hands match up with their youthful faces. I ask them to think carefully and thoughtfully about their expectations, the whys, the costs and general long-term consequences. And it’s perhaps here where my issue with “longer lashes movement” comes into play. In my mind, using a prescription medicine to enhance a woman’s appearance lies somewhere closer to plastic surgery than spanx or padded bras. And yet, its casual use is taking off at a rapid rate with women of all ages.
So, maybe the better question is, where do products like Latisse lead us? Have we created a disease we now call, “inadequate eyelashes” that requires a new product that mascara cannot take care of? Have we just found another way for women to feel they fall short as they yearn for some permanent and radical solution to reach ideal beauty?
And what about the potential physical and psychological consequence of repeated usage of lash thickener? When we try any new beauty fad, are we relying on the due diligence of the cosmetic industry or the FDA? We need only recall that steroids, (also once used for medical purposes), were found to enhance athletic ability and then ultimately were discovered to be dangerous, both for the long-term health of the athlete and of the sports world in general. It led to a deep mistrust in who was using and who had true talent, resulting in drug testing in all of sports.
Then there’s the use of stimulants, originally prescribed for children suffering Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, now being used as the new ‘brain power’ drug. Ritalin and Adderall, two popular ADHD medications, have been reported to enhance a student’s ability to concentrate regardless of any diagnosis. A recent 60 Minutes report by Katie Couric described the routine use of these drugs by students on college campuses. A school counselor on the program said she believed that close to 80% of the seniors in fraternities and sororities were popping these pills to raise test scores and achieve higher grades.
And let us not forget the Viagra and Cialis craze. Look where that’s led our husbands, lovers, fathers and brothers. Once used for symptoms of Erectyle Dysfuntion resulting from prostate cancer or an enlarged prostate, they are now packed as part of the overnight bag to ensure a fun evening. Men – especially midlifers — tell me that the promotion of these products in the media has provoked unexpected feelings of inadequacy.
Lastly, we need only look at the exponential rise in the use of cosmetic procedures to witness one of the most slippery of slopes men and women are finding themselves on. Plastic surgery, botox, injectables, fillers, laser treatments –the list is long — are regularly used to alter looks, defy aging, enhance and improve. And not just by the rich and famous, (although, according to the NY Times, it’s the famous who are now just beginning to see the negative consequences of surgical procedures as they find that their plastic bodies and frozen faces are a turn-off to casting agents). Enhancements made surgically are permanent and permanently problematic.
So back to those eyelashes. I suppose I do realize what bothers me. First, it’s the long-term safety factor. We, our daughters and all those young women who are being offered these new products, are like variables in an experiment that has not yet shown proven success over time. As a psychologist, the biggest issue for me is that yet another feature, characteristic, human natural quality, will come under question; what is real and what isn’t? Our mothers’ generation used to ask, ‘does she or doesn’t she? Our generation of girls now asks ‘has she or hasn’t she?’ Even boys-who-would-be-ballplayers now ask, “Does he or doesn’t he?” What questions will our sons and daughters ask in the future? Will they wonder if anything about a man or a woman is real? Will we trust women to be who they appear to be? Can men really have the bodies they do without drugs? Last for four hours on their own? Does that Harvard degree mean the same thing if it was achieved while taking the SATs on Adderall?
Wouldn’t it be reassuring if women could at least love their lashes as they are? What do you think?
Use my what? where? and the reason is because I "should" have a man. Pray tell at what point does that become pointless? I suggest it is shortly after age 58 when invisibility begins to set in. So I could learn to use my what? when? and for
Hello!
I read each one of the responses before writing and in each one you counter the writer with why you are staying in this situation. When you left, did you think about what kind of life you were going to build for yourself? Because after the ini
Better living through chemicals anyone? Every woman has to decide for herself when enough is enough. I know that real beauty shines through the eye first and everything else is window dressing. The best beauty secret I know is inner peace. I color my hair and let’s hear it for good make up. I draw the line there but that’s just me. I worry about long term effects of med of any kind especially the use of psychotropic meds on developing brains. We don’t know enough about the consequences. I’m not sure we really consider the consequences of much these days those.
Advertisers spend BILLIONS of dollars to convince consumers that they are inadequate the way they are. I think the eyelash craze is stupid and potentially dangerous and the American public is NOT thinking about the possible long term consequences of applying these drugs to their eye lashes.I am sure it won’t stop there…..
Welcome to “dumbed down” America!
Believe it or not there are some great new mascara products out there that really lengthen the lashes. Yes theywash out stiil..I’d go that route instead of using the products in question. The risks seem too great.
It also has become increasingly common to apply false permanent lashes that look natural. I am comfortable with either of these two choices.
Can you share the names of the mascara products you recommend? I’m always writing and giving talks about this topic so having women provide reliable information is helpful. Thanks for your comment.
I use Jane Iredale Longest Lash Expresso. I went the route of Latisse, but had issues with the frantic rush to the Dr’s office to fill up for fear of missing a day.
Too confining for me at 63, I will just take my folic acid vitamins for hair .
I will look for this product and give it a try. It’s nice to have alternatives to suggest to women who ask me for them especially if I am raising questions about products like Latisse.. While modeling in my 20s, I used L’Oreal’s waterproof mascara –inexpensive and stayed on all day — and have used it for 35 years. I never felt the need to experiment, but it’s never too late for that now, especially since my lashes have gotten lighter and thinner and could use a bit more help! Thanks for your suggestion.
Arbonne also has a lash enhancer that is all botanical. I was missing most of my right eye brow, so used it there and after 3 weeks had a complete eyebrow. If the product isn’t safe, I won’t use it. Pharmaceuticals ALWAYS create their own issues, so only use them if absolutely necessary.
Arbonne also has a lash enhancer that is all botanical. I was missing most of my right eye brow, so used it there and after 3 weeks had a complete eyebrow. If the product isn’t safe, I won’t use it. Pharmaceuticals ALWAYS create their own issues, so only use them if absolutely necessary.
So sorry for the double post! My non-techie side kicked in!
Thanks for reminding women that these products have risks. I am 45 and tried one of these lash thickeners and I now have a small brown spot on the light green iris of my eye. It’s unlikely to be noticed by anyone but those who know me very well (like my kids notice it), but I won’t risk using the product again and developing other spots.
I work at a salon/spa that allows me to purchase a product similar to Latisse at a discount. I choose not to however, because I DON’T want to risk being a guinea pig! If I have a special event to attend, temporary false eyelashes or eyelash extensions will do just fine! When I look at magazines such as US and PEOPLE these days, it seems as if celebrities are all starting to look alike…….PLASTIC…. and don’t have any real uniqueness anymore. I saw a picture of a 19yr old celebrity that truly looked like a mannequin or a wax figure. It’s very sad to think that in the future women may all look like they’re related to one another! Let’s hear it for individuality!
I just read a journal article about the dangers of long term use of botox. There are tentative findings that muscle atrophy results (far from the injected area) after repeated use of botox. More research needs to be done, but talk about guinea pigs! If young girls start botox at an early age, it’s frightening to think of them having drooping cheeks, chins, etc. after years of being injected by a product that truly has not had long enough time to demonstrate its safety for cosmetic usage. Botox is now being used regularly by twenty somthings in their attempts to never get wrinkles!
We have no one to blame but ourselves. We have become a nation obsessed with youth. Like I said many times on this site, I would NEVER inject a poison into my face to peel back the hands of time. People are getting enormously wealthy by promoting and selling this garbage.
As you probably know Debi (and I thought I would remind readers in case some don’t), Botox has important medical uses beyond cosmetic. It has been used successfully to ease muscles spasms that interfere with normal activities of life, for miagraines, anal fissures and more. It has been viewed as a valuable treatment measure and worth the potential side effects for these problems. It’s that we have allowed ourselves to use medicines meant for physical conditions (like glaucoma) for cosmetic reasons that concerns me. It tells me we have lost perspective. I blame ourselves only in that we have not led the way to find better alternatives for the next generation and instead are leading them down a path that seems so potentially dangerous.
Botox is a neurotoxin. That alone should make people run. I recently read a report that they are finding that it migrates throughout the body. I really do not get how people can think there will be no long term consequences to shooting this junk into their bodies. Many of us have known someone suffering with dementia or Alzheimers, yet think nothing of using a neurotoxin to try to stay young looking.
As one who was diagnosed with glaucoma and put on Travatan drops which have the same active ingredient as Latisse, I can tell you I was not happy reading the side effects. I love my green eyes just as they are and don’t really want them to change. Fortunately for me a different ophthalmologist decided that the diagnosis of glaucoma was premature and took me off of the eye drops. I was ecstatic. One person’s beauty treatment is another’s unwanted prescription. I’m grateful for healthy eyes and just your average eyelashes. If one is busy, happy and healthy how in the world do they have time to worry about the length of their eyelashes? Seriously, aren’t there more important things in this world to be concerned about?
Oh yes, healthy eyes and a healthy attitude.
I have been using Latisse for abouth 3 months now and love the results. I haven’t seen any problems so far with irritation, discoloration, etc. I have always had very thin eyelashes and have used every mascaras advertised for lengthening the appearance of eyelashes. Nothing has come close to Latisse!! I love the fact that I am not having to put on layers of mascara now. Don’t know that I will always continue using Latisse; but for right now I am loving the results. Thank you for your very infomative article.