Is there really a drug that lengthens your eyelashes? Will that harm you in some way?
Indeed, there is a medication in the form of an eye drop currently on the market for treatment of hypotrichosis of the eyelashes, which is defined as a loss or reduction of growth of the eyelashes. Interestingly, this medication was initially used for the treatment of glaucoma (increased pressure inside the eye) and as a side effect, some individuals noticed their eyelashes had increased growth.
This reported side effect led to further studies to document the effectiveness of this medication for treating eyelash hypotrichosis. The majority of randomized studies done over a 16-week period showed no benefit of this medication for eyelash hypotrichosis. However, a non-randomized, prospective study of 44 individuals did report benefit of this medication for eyelash hypotrichosis with a longer course of therapy showing that after being treated for two years, complete or moderate eyelash regrowth occurred in about 25 percent of individuals and no growth was seen in the 10 patients not using the medication.
Side effects with use of this medication for eyelash hypotrichosis can include eyelid reddening and discoloration, discoloration of the skin around the eye, and other eye-related symptoms such as dry-eye, eye irritation, and others. This medication should not be prescribed for individuals without eyelash hypotrichosis who simply desire an increase in the length of their eyelashes as all medications do have potential side effects that could result in the medication causing more overall harm than good.
Dr. Jesse Nieuwenhuis
Jesse Nieuwenhuis is a first-year family medicine resident physician at the Siouxland Medical Education Foundation in Sioux City, Iowa. He grew up on a farm near Primghar, Iowa, and chose to attend the University of Iowa and Northwestern College in Orange City, Iowa, for his undergraduate college education, graduating from Northwestern with a degree in biology and a minor in chemistry in 2009.
He then chose to work at the Iowa Neonatal Newborn Screening Program in Ankeny, Iowa, as a microbiologist for a short time after graduating from college. He then attended medical school at the Chicago Medical School at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science in North Chicago, Ill., graduating with an M.D. in 2014. Upon graduating from medical school, he chose to pursue his graduate medical education in Family Medicine at the Siouxland Medical Education Foundation in Sioux City.
