Our eyebrows and eyelashes are important features. Eyebrows frame your face and help you express your emotions to others during conversation. Eyelashes help keep debris and dust out of your eyes.
If you experience thinning or sparse hair on your eyelashes, the medication Latisse can help regrow them. It can also help improve the thickness of your eyebrows.
Latisse is a prescription-only medication that contains the active ingredient bimatoprost with a strength of 0.03%. This is a medicinal solution originally prescribed to people with glaucoma, an eye condition that causes damage to the optic nerve (located at the back of your eye).
It is now a popular eyelash regrowth serum that may help you get longer and thicker eyelashes. If you experience sparse or thinning hairs on your eyebrows, Latisse may be able to help. Keep in mind that if you want to use Latisse to help grow you eyebrow or eyelash hairs, you will still need a prescription from a doctor.
Is Latisse effective for eyebrow growth?
Many factors may cause thinning eyebrows, such as aging or side effects of medications. If you experience hair loss that affects your eyebrows, also known as eyebrow hypotrichosis, you may benefit from using Latisse.
Latisse contains the active ingredient bimatoprost 0.03% solution. Although it has approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use on eyelashes only, several different studies support its effectiveness for the regrowth of eyebrows.
One study from 2018 notes the successful use of topical Latisse 0.03% bimatoprost solution for sustained regrowth of the eyebrows in an older adult.
Research from 2016 details how more participants using the bimatoprost 0.03% solution experienced improved eyebrow thickness, fullness, and darkness within 2 months.
What are the benefits of Latisse?
Latisse is effective for helping boost hair growth in areas such as your eyelashes and eyebrows. This can help them frame your face and may improve your self-confidence.
The solution works by increasing the amount of hair follicles in their growth phase.
Aside from this, the active ingredient in Latisse can help treat a range of eye conditions, such as glaucoma and high ocular blood pressure.
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What are the potential risks?
If you have lighter eyelash hairs, Latisse may darken the color.
Other side effects that occur from using the drug on your eyebrows and eyelashes may include:
- skin irritation
- respiratory infections
- runny nose
- sinus irritation or an itchy nose
The most common side effects, which are more specific to using Latisse on the eyelashes, include:
- hyperpigmentation, or skin color changes
- itchy eyes
- visible blood vessels appearing in your eyes
Is it FDA approved?
Latisse was approved in 2008 by the FDA for its use as an eyelash growth serum. It has also been approved to help treat eye conditions such as:
- glaucoma
- macular edema, where blood vessels leak into the retina causing swelling
- eye inflammation
It has not been approved for eyebrow growth. But several studies, including one from 2019, suggest that it is effective, with minimal side effects when used for this purpose.
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Get free cardAlternative eyebrow growth solutions
If you are experiencing hair loss or thinning of your eyebrows there are many solutions out there to help.
It can be beneficial to initially speak with a doctor to identify the cause of your hair loss. This can help them eliminate any underlying conditions that need treatment.
Health conditions that can cause eyebrow hair loss include:
- alopecia areata
- thyroid conditions, such as hyperthyroidism
- anemia
- zinc deficiencies
- trauma to the hair follicles, such as a cut or burn
Some natural alternatives to Latisse may help boost eyebrow and eyelash growth. Yet evidence of their effectiveness is minimal, and further research is still needed.
Examples include:
Certain hair-loss treatments have no FDA approval specifically for the eyebrows but may be effective as an off-label treatment. This includes topical minoxidil (Rogaine) and oral finasteride (Proscar). These medications have their own set of side effects, though.
A healthcare professional can help you decide whether the benefits outweigh the risks and whether these options are suitable for you.
Summary
Latisse can be a good option if you are trying to regain some thickness in your eyebrows. Studies report that it is effective on both eyebrows and eyelashes. That said, the FDA has approved it only for eyelashes.
Latisse may darken your eyebrows, so if you have pale facial hair, you may not wish to use it.
If you wish to try Latisse, you should speak with a doctor to see whether they can recommend it for off-label use.
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