How Hair And Lashes Products Work?

It makes no claims to grow longer lashes. In deed, the entire concept about it is that a gift was devised to assist a cancer patient restore eyelashes lost during chemotherapy. One can only assume that such a gift, designed as it was for one person, would not have raised the ire of anyone, least of all the FDA.

It is possible, too, that the doctor who formulated the serum was authorised to do so in care of a patient. Well, okay, the patient was his wife, which might be a distinct conflict of interest, but all the same his intention was honest enough.

The main controversy here is the use of bimatoprost, an active ingredient used for glaucoma treatments that has been noted to increase the length, thickness, and numbers of eyelashes in some people. It should be noted that there were three products using this substance at one time, and all of them have since reformulated to different ingredients.

Where the company made changes they moved to using latanoprost, which ended up having a great many side effects that were not intended at all. They have changed the formula once again, in 2011. This 'advanced' version, as of yet, has no indication of if it works the same way or not.

How did the old formula work? Eyelashes are forms of hair. The growth cycle for eyelashes are about two months. This cycle has three phases, the growth phase, the transition phase, and the resting phase. During growth the hair grows, and on average eighty-five percent of the hairs on the body are in this phase. The transition phase is a shortish phase that sits between growth and resting.

Hairs in this phase typically have a shrunken follicle. When at rest, which ten to fifteen percent of the hairs are at any single time, the hair remains attached to the follicle. Only when the follicle begins creating a new hair should the old one be shed. It is believed that bimatoprost works by tricking the body into a longer growing period so that the lashes have time to become longer and thicker.

Latanoprost works in a similar fashion, but research indicates that changes it makes to how the hairs grow might be more permanent then the first compound. In any case, the latter chemical has greater side effects like skin and iris discoloration that make it less then ideal.

Currently, these products are considered to be a 'drug' by the FDA. As a consequence consumers run risks when using them as an over the counter treatment. The side effects are pretty much 'buyer beware'. Is the quest for longer lashes worth the risk that one might have a bad reaction? For some people it is.

Ultimately it is personal choice that dictates which product is used in enhancing the look of your eyelashes If it is determined that the risk is worth taking then by all means do see a licensed dermatologist or eye doctor to make sure that you are not putting your eyesight on the line.