Lumigan for eyelash growth?
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free skin care · Fri May 01, 2009 5:58 pm

Lowbrowscientist wrote:

Kassy_A wrote:

After 9 months of use (daily for about 5 or 6 weeks, and 3 times per week thereafter) my upper eyelashes look like they have shrunk to their original size.. Laughing

Bummer!

At least I have a few months to go.. Neutral

Is it because you went down to only 3 X a week?

free skin care · Fri May 01, 2009 6:19 pm

I remember reading this post awhile ago when I just started looking into Lumigan.

sourpatchme wrote:

hi everyone,

i've been working for a glaucoma specialists for a few years now and as a first hand observant i can tell you lumigan grows eyelashes, no doubt about it. even before all the hype about lumigan growing lashes my patients knew that their lashes are no products of good genes.

however, i want to throw in something for you all to consider. just my two cents, not trying to talk anyone into or out of anything. just think about it before you use a prescription drug for non-FDA approved purposes. weight out your pros and cons. some of lumigan's side effects are pretty showstopping.

[first of all, lumigan is most effective when prescribed as a QHS or Q12H. that simply means
use at night time OR
once at night AND once in the morning.

this is for a reason. that is timing in which you natural intraocular spikes the most therefore making lumigan most effective.
similarly that is also about the same time most of us (yes, myself included) apply our lumigan onto our lashline/lids.
make no mistake about it, even though we are applying it onto our lash lines, some of lumigan IS actually going into our eyes. the logic is much similar to how you will always ingest your lip products when you apply them onto your lips even when you are not eating.

take a good guess where your tear ducts are and where your tears are going. so don't ever kid yourself that just because you are not dropping the drug directly into your eyes that none of it is going in.

as for myself, i was reluctant to try it on my own nonexistent lashes up until recently. but having the access to unlimited (and free) lumigan was too much to bear. after once nightly use for one week, applied by squeezing a few drops onto a qtip and swab it across my lash lines. there is a dramatic 30+% increase in length, thickness and i even developed a stunningly natural upwards curl.

that came at a trade off for me however; possibly due to my profession i'm extremely aware of changes in my own eye. but i won't go into further detail with that.

i'm totally open to any questions or concerns anyone has. i will try to answer them to the best of my knowledge. if not, i can always relay them to my allergan/lumigan rep. now, that girl has some killer lashes..

Maybe we can PM her with our questions. she sounds like a good source of the info we need. I'd like to ask some questions about eyebrows since I am using the Lumigan for that.

free skin care · Fri May 01, 2009 7:15 pm

after once nightly use for one week, applied by squeezing a few drops onto a qtip and swab it across my lash lines. there is a dramatic 30+% increase in length, thickness and i even developed a stunningly natural upwards curl.

I think she may have meant to write use for ONE MONTH. How could 30% growth happen in only a week? Correct? This has never happened I'm guessing.

free skin care · Fri May 01, 2009 7:27 pm

wenrwdy@aol.com wrote:

Lowbrowscientist wrote:

Kassy_A wrote:

After 9 months of use (daily for about 5 or 6 weeks, and 3 times per week thereafter) my upper eyelashes look like they have shrunk to their original size.. Laughing

Bummer!

At least I have a few months to go.. Neutral

Is it because you went down to only 3 X a week?

I think if I had continued a nightly ritual I would have had a great deal of shedding, because of the much quicker growth spurts..

I opted for the every other night or so because I really detest the too long, spindly, sparse lashes that I've seen with nightly use.. (I'm not into spider leg eyelashes.. Shock

After giving it a break for a month, I'll do the same pattern again and see how it goes.

free skin care · Fri May 01, 2009 7:42 pm

wenrwdy@aol.com wrote:

I remember reading this post awhile ago when I just started looking into Lumigan.

sourpatchme wrote:

hi everyone,

i've been working for a glaucoma specialists for a few years now and as a first hand observant i can tell you lumigan grows eyelashes, no doubt about it. even before all the hype about lumigan growing lashes my patients knew that their lashes are no products of good genes.

however, i want to throw in something for you all to consider. just my two cents, not trying to talk anyone into or out of anything. just think about it before you use a prescription drug for non-FDA approved purposes. weight out your pros and cons. some of lumigan's side effects are pretty showstopping.

[first of all, lumigan is most effective when prescribed as a QHS or Q12H. that simply means
use at night time OR
once at night AND once in the morning.

this is for a reason. that is timing in which you natural intraocular spikes the most therefore making lumigan most effective.
similarly that is also about the same time most of us (yes, myself included) apply our lumigan onto our lashline/lids.
make no mistake about it, even though we are applying it onto our lash lines, some of lumigan IS actually going into our eyes. the logic is much similar to how you will always ingest your lip products when you apply them onto your lips even when you are not eating.

take a good guess where your tear ducts are and where your tears are going. so don't ever kid yourself that just because you are not dropping the drug directly into your eyes that none of it is going in.

as for myself, i was reluctant to try it on my own nonexistent lashes up until recently. but having the access to unlimited (and free) lumigan was too much to bear. after once nightly use for one week, applied by squeezing a few drops onto a qtip and swab it across my lash lines. there is a dramatic 30+% increase in length, thickness and i even developed a stunningly natural upwards curl.

that came at a trade off for me however; possibly due to my profession i'm extremely aware of changes in my own eye. but i won't go into further detail with that.

i'm totally open to any questions or concerns anyone has. i will try to answer them to the best of my knowledge. if not, i can always relay them to my allergan/lumigan rep. now, that girl has some killer lashes..

Maybe we can PM her with our questions. she sounds like a good source of the info we need. I'd like to ask some questions about eyebrows since I am using the Lumigan for that.

I often wished she'd re-post, but she never did. Just the one post, I'm afraid *sigh*...

Guess we could try PM'ing?

free skin care · Fri May 01, 2009 8:45 pm

semayden wrote:

Guess we could try PM'ing?

Yeah that is what I said. Everyone gets an email notice that they are being PMed right?

free skin care · Fri May 01, 2009 10:49 pm

semayden wrote:

I read an article today where the writer (Roseanne Colletti) quoted Caroline Van Hove (who works for Allergan) as saying that Latisse is only 5% of the strength of Lumigan!:

She is wrong. The products are identical.

She might have meant that only 5% of the product ends up in the eye when it is applied to the eyelid.

Either way, her statement is wrong. The one good thing about prescription drugs is that they MUST list every single ingredient and the strength of each. And, anyone can read up for themselves that Lumigan and Latisse are the same.

free skin care · Sat May 02, 2009 11:55 am

Swedish_Charlotte wrote:

She is wrong. The products are identical.

She might have meant that only 5% of the product ends up in the eye when it is applied to the eyelid.

That makes more sense.

free skin care · Sat May 02, 2009 1:42 pm

semayden wrote:

Kassy_A wrote:

Just checking in to update my experience..

After 9 months of use (daily for about 5 or 6 weeks, and 3 times per week thereafter) my upper eyelashes look like they have shrunk to their original size.. Laughing

Do you mean the original long lengths of your girlhood? (see, I remember!) or just prior to Lumigan? If the latter, then that is dismal news for the rest of us, and I find it rather discouraging. Crying or Very sad

Oh well, upwards and onwards - maybe things will be different for some of the rest of us.

Semayden, I'm hoping that she will start to see improvement again after giving the Lumigan a break for a bit. I don't mind taking a month or two off, if I get to have nicer lashes for most of year. As long as I'm not one of the poor souls whose lashes all fall out, that is!

Oh, and, I will definitely be posting the post-Lumigan, pre-RapidLash pictures Smile

But I should warn in advance that my "after" pictures look like most "before" pictures... that's how bad my lashes were to begin with!

free skin care · Sat May 02, 2009 6:08 pm

Semayden, sorry I missed your post.. And yep, they are back to my original 'girlhood' length..*the one after my BFF talked me into cutting them in half, so they grow longer*..NOT.. Laughing

Lowbrow, I think if I would have used Lumigan nightly, I most certainly would have lost a great deal of lashes to shedding.. (It does stand to reason, considering lashes will grow only so long and then fall out.) So it makes sense that if they are all growing like wildfire, they will reach their limit and fall out, leaving gaps throughout the lash line..

I'll keep you posted on the month break, and then starting 3 times per week again.. I am occassionally applying castor oil in the mean time.

ETA: Just want to remind those ordering from ADC to be sure to ask them for the newest, freshest batch.. Mine came with only an 11 month expiration date..(Same batch/lot # as my original order in June 08.

free skin care · Sat May 02, 2009 6:13 pm

make no mistake about it, even though we are applying it onto our lash lines, some of lumigan IS actually going into our eyes. the logic is much similar to how you will always ingest your lip products when you apply them onto your lips even when you are not eating.

This is what sourpatchme wrote and there is your 5% difference.

I although I don't think I digest 5% of my lip gloss. :-&

free skin care · Sat May 02, 2009 7:41 pm

Ok ladies, here they are...

I have a very difficult time getting pics that are in focus, so I've only got 2 current ones (taken today) that are worth posting.

This "before" pic is from 2 or 3 years ago... I was wearing mascara, but you can see that even with mascara my lashes are nothing to write home about:

(wearing Focus Softcolors contact lenses in Aqua)

This one is from just last year, and though my photography skills are terrible as usual, I think they actually look even thinner here Sad

:

(wearing grey enhancer lenses)

Here are two from today:

The first one is my "natural" eyelashes, and the second one was taken a couple hours later after I dyed them. This is the second time I've dyed them and I love the way it looks, but it is a miserable experience -- it gets in my eyes and stings like crazy, and I have to take it off way before the time is up so I can flush them with saline. I even used the little tiny dental brush that's like a mini-mascara wand to apply it, to no avail. So, sadly, I doubt I'll be doing that again. They are actually still a little red Rolling Eyes

Kassy, I think writing to ADC and letting them know we need Lumigan from a fresh batch is a great idea -- I'll be sure to do that next time, unless I'm really blown away by the Rapid Lash, of course.

I've just started the Rapid Lash this week (used twice so far). When this tube is finished, I'll post more pics -- hopefully they'll be thicker than they are now. I don't really think I can go much farther with length; it's just not in my genetic cards to have super-long lashes. But I'm happy with the length they're at now, after having skimpy lashes for so long.

ETA:sorry for the size of that first photo! it shows up a lot smaller on photobucket Neutral

free skin care · Sat May 02, 2009 9:42 pm

Your eyes and lashes look lovely! And from what I can see of your skin it looks beautiful also.

I'm mixed up, have you stopped the Lumigan for good, or do you plan to switch hit.. Laughing

(I'm thinking switching back and forth might boost the growth a bit.. hmm

! ) I'm hoping my month break works along those lines as well.

Now for the lash tint.. I'm assuming you use 1000 hour based on the 'didn't wait long enough' comment.. Just an FYI, I use Swiss-O-Par lash tint, and it's on and done in seconds. What's more is I've only done them 3 times since August 08, and it lasts longer each time.. With that said I also have to admit that my natural lashes are blackish, except for the tips.. (And a couple of stark white lashes that appeared a while back.)

The lash dye is ridiculously quick and easy though.

free skin care · Sun May 03, 2009 2:57 am

Lowbrow! Great eyes you have (and as Kassy mentioned your skin looks gorgeous too)!! I wish mine were as clear and non-bloodshot! Laughing

But my contacts seem to give me the nice "shot" look. And the color is beautiful. So you use the 1000 hour lash tint? I am really thinking of getting some...my lashes are dark sans the tips like Kassy. I think it would be great to have them dark all the way. How long does it take to get the 1000 hour once you order? Would love to have it before I go to Germany in 3 weeks and I know it comes from out of the country.....

Sun May 03, 2009 4:51 am

bren21 wrote:

Lowbrow! Great eyes you have (and as Kassy mentioned your skin looks gorgeous too)!! I wish mine were as clear and non-bloodshot! Laughing

But my contacts seem to give me the nice "shot" look. And the color is beautiful. So you use the 1000 hour lash tint? I am really thinking of getting some...my lashes are dark sans the tips like Kassy. I think it would be great to have them dark all the way. How long does it take to get the 1000 hour once you order? Would love to have it before I go to Germany in 3 weeks and I know it comes from out of the country.....

I just purchased 1000 hour lash tint from epharmacy.com.au and received it in about 10 days from Australia. The total cost including postage was $A 24.66 which is under $20.00 US.
Hope this helps

free skin care · Sun May 03, 2009 5:53 am

I tried the rapid lash and my eyes feel like their is sand in them. I stopped and after things calmed down I tried Lumigan and is seems to made my eyes a little itchy after a couple of days use. Do others have these issues?

Another question in ordering the Swiss-O-Par lash what color do most people order if they have brown hair with highlights? Also what is your ordering source?
Toby

free skin care · Sun May 03, 2009 6:23 am

Woke up to my left eye itchy and irritated in the inner corner. Felt like I had a hair in it....well, low and behold I had to pluck 2 wayward hairs that were growing directly out of the inner corner of my left eye....guess you could say that this stuff works! But that hurt like hell pulling those suckers out....

This Lumigan has really made my lashes WOW long! It's pretty cool although they are so long at this point that they are getting a bit unruly and starting to go every which way a bit...not sure what I do to get them to go the way they are supposed to.

Thanks Andrina....I will have to order me some!!!!

free skin care · Sun May 03, 2009 8:49 am

Kassy_A wrote:

I'm mixed up, have you stopped the Lumigan for good, or do you plan to switch hit.. Laughing

(I'm thinking switching back and forth might boost the growth a bit.. hmm

! ) I'm hoping my month break works along those lines as well.

Kassy and Bren, thankyou for the compliments -- you are too kind!

Kassy, I'm bascially just giving the Rapid Lash a trial run to see how it works. There is an eBay seller (link forthcoming, I just don't have it handy at the moment) who offers it at a great price with free shipping, so I decided to see how it compared to the Lumigan. I'll use up the whole tube, and if it works as well or better, I may switch completely. I'm only going to use it every other day or so, just like the Lumigan, to make sure it's an accurate comparison. The only reason I'm bothering is because I'm wondering if I can get length AND thickness from one product. If not, I'll go back to the Lumigan exclusively... or, as you suggested, I may just buy a tube of RL here and there to occasionally mix things up.

Quote:

Now for the lash tint.. I'm assuming you use 1000 hour based on the 'didn't wait long enough' comment.. Just an FYI, I use Swiss-O-Par lash tint, and it's on and done in seconds. What's more is I've only done them 3 times since August 08, and it lasts longer each time.. With that said I also have to admit that my natural lashes are blackish, except for the tips.. (And a couple of stark white lashes that appeared a while back.)

The lash dye is ridiculously quick and easy though.

I cannot thank you enough for that recommendation! Where are you getting your Swiss-O-Par tint? Yes, I *am* using the 1000 hour lash tint, and some people get wonderful results with it so I can't knock it. But, it is just not working for me Silenced

Bren, congrats on the fast results! You can get 1000 Hour at Parnell pharmacy (I'll post a link later, but Google should find it too); it's New Zealand based and is a good bit less expensive than the Aussie-based pharmacies selling it. For the record, though, I'm going to be trying Kassy's brand, the Swiss-O-Par lash tint, because it sounds much easier to use. So, that's another one to consider! ETA: I got my 1000 Hr tint in about 3 weeks from the Aussie pharmacy, so if you're in the USA, it's a toss up whether you'll get it before you head overseas. I haven't ordered the lash tint from Parnell, but it took me about 10 days to get the Heliocare I ordered from them.

Toby, That gritty feeling in your eyes is not encouraging Neutral

... I did notice something interesting with the RapidLash too - namely, the next morning there was a "strip" of the dried gel at the base of my lashes, I could literally just peel most of it off (the rest I just wiped off with a damp washcloth). I've never used anything but the Lumigan before, so I don't know if that is unique to Rapid Lash or not. Do you think some of the gel could be getting in your eye overnight and drying, resulting in that sand-in-the-eyes feeling?

In any event, I hope you're able to get it worked out.. that would drive me crazy Confused

free skin care · Sun May 03, 2009 9:37 am

Lowbrowscientist wrote:

I did notice something interesting with the RapidLash too - namely, the next morning there was a "strip" of the dried gel at the base of my lashes, I could literally just peel most of it off (the rest I just wiped off with a damp washcloth). I've never used anything but the Lumigan before, so I don't know if that is unique to Rapid Lash or not. Do you think some of the gel could be getting in your eye overnight and drying, resulting in that sand-in-the-eyes feeling?

You may be using too much. I have not seen anything the morning after. Very carefully I also swipe my finger over my lash line after I apply the serum. I use my pinky for this. I keep dabbing on and then smearing until I get the solution across my entire lashline and feel satisfied. I do that to use as little as possible but making sure what I apply is used. You could try that.

free skin care · Sun May 03, 2009 11:27 am

andrina wrote:

I just purchased 1000 hour lash tint from epharmacy.com.au and received it in about 10 days from Australia. The total cost including postage was $A 24.66 which is under $20.00 US.
Hope this helps

I got mine from Parnell at $11.55 USD and $4.33 USD for shipping. I think that is the lowest price out there.

free skin care · Sun May 03, 2009 11:29 am

Lowbrowscientist wrote:

Ok ladies, here they are...

I did not see this earlier! Was using my DH computer and somehow scrolled over it. Very pretty eyes. the last photo is a very good one used as your before photo for RL. Now you just gotta try and replicate that for after! hahaha!

free skin care · Sun May 03, 2009 1:31 pm

Lowbrowscientist, yes, you have very pretty eyes!

I admit I'm a bit shocked though to see that your lashes are not as long as I expected them to be with 4 months of Lumigan (have I got that right?). Very nice though, and better then many people who haven't used eyelash enhancers.

Mine are roughly at the level of your most recent pic (the dyed one) and that's after 2 months Ardell/Mavala cocktail - with Lumigan getting into the picture 28 days ago. Maybe I'm not doing so bad after all! Very Happy

free skin care · Sun May 03, 2009 1:41 pm

andrina wrote:

semayden,

I love reading all your posts as they are always so informative. Best of all is your common sense attitude to all that confusing information out there. Keep on keeping us updated, your great.

Thanks andrina. Very Happy

I'm a dreamy person most of the time - but when I get the bit between my teeth I can't stop running with it!

I still can't get over the apparent fact that Allergan have been stupid/lazy/shortsighted/naive enough to simply take the same Lumigan formulation and put it into a slightly different bottle - with a different name - expecting an unsuspecting public to cough up big bucks for the privilege of using, what is, in fact, Lumigan.

Does anyone think that Allergan have the power to be able to put a stop on Lumigan being sold cheaply at various online pharmacies (not to mention backstreet chemists worldwide!)? I don't know anything about these sorts of procedures - but I sure hope they don't even try!

I suppose the logical answer has to be that they'd have a hard time implementing anything like that...

free skin care · Sun May 03, 2009 5:05 pm

Toby wrote:

Another question in ordering the Swiss-O-Par lash what color do most people order if they have brown hair with highlights? Also what is your ordering source?
Toby

I got mine from here Toby. Took about a week to recieve it. They are having a 20% off sale now. They just have brown and black.. Definitely order the black! It's so quick and easy you won't believe it.. No waiting whatsoever!

http://www.lashandbrowtint.com/?gclid=CPO2wPStoZoCFQubnAod3y6b8w

free skin care · Sun May 03, 2009 6:25 pm

I just thought I'd tell yas that I'd been using Jan Marini until they were taken off the market, then straight onto lumigan. I've been using these for about 2 years.
I went down to 2 to 3 times a week once I was happy with my lashes. I didn't want the freaky fake look. Somehow I don't think my lashes would've grown to that anyway.
Anyway there's been times during this time when my lashes have suddenly appeared pretty short again. I just continued on with the 2 to 3 times a week anyway, and then suddenly I'd notice they're long again.
Can't say exactly when this happened but it would've been after about 9 months to a year I guess.
I didn't get a mass shedding though, just short lashes again.

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