Lash Lengthener

Women who don't want the hassle of false eyelashes can now grow their own at $300 a month. Photo / Supplied

Women wanting to grow longer lashes can now get them, for a price. The American prescription treatment Latisse is now available in New Zealand. It requires a doctor's consultation and is available at a number of appearance medicine clinics in Auckland.

Among them is Prescription Skincare, where clinic director and owner Margaret Gilbert became one of the first women in the country to try it late last year after undergoing rounds of chemotherapy treatment.

"I used to always have very long eyelashes, they'd hit the sunglasses," she told Viva. After chemo she was dismayed when her lashes grew back straight and gappy. She found false lashes expensive, so with her business contacts she arranged to try Latisse, noticing a difference after four to five weeks. She's still happily using it, as are a number of the clinic's clients - most are older and need it, but some are younger and "want it more from a fashion point of view".

Latisse is the only United States FDA-approved prescription treatment for inadequate lashes. In New Zealand it is not registered, which means it can't be advertised by name, but it has been available on prescription for several months. (A similar regulatory regime surrounded the filler Restylane when it first became available).

A three-month course of Latisse is prescribed at a cost of around $300 a month. The product is applied to the lashes nightly. Improvements to lash length and density are normally noticed within the first month, with the full effects seen in months two and three. Thereafter women can reduce application to two to three times a week, which also cuts the cost of ongoing use. This is required to keep lashes growing.

Those with certain medical conditions who do not have lashes, such as alOpecia sufferers, cannot grow them by using Latisse - some natural hair and healthy follicles are required as is the way with various men's hair growth promotion drugs.

Latisse has its origins from a drug used first as an eye drop for glaucoma sufferers. A side-effect was noticed in patients whereby they had increased lash length, fullness and darkness. This led to the development of Latisse, which is owned by Allergan, the company behind Botox.

One of the reasons a prescription is required for Latisse is because of a rare side-effect of the glaucoma treatment. A few patients with blue eyes using drops directly into the eye noticed a darkening of brown pigment in the iris. This risk has not occurred for those using the paint-on product, but darkening of the eyelids is listed as possible side-effect of Latisse. Care is needed with application so that fine vellus facial hairs don't pick up the product and become more noticeable through stimulated growth.

Several women I have spoken to who have tried the product have reported no ill effects and say they now have a more dramatic lash fringe.

Gilbert's lashes are again darker and longer and last well, but finer than they were originally and a bit errant in direction, but still a vast improvement on what she was faced with post-chemo. She also used Latisse on her brows and they grew back darker.

"Appearance-wise you really need the lashes".