Lumigan vs Latisse

What is the difference between Lumigan and Latisse?

At Mylash, we’re asked this question a lot. The short answer is that they are both the same treatment. The long answer comes down to the origin of the treatment.

Bimatoprost 0.03% ophthalmic solution was originally used under the name Lumigan as an eyedrop to treat glaucoma, a condition in which the pressure within your eyeball is too high. It was applied at least once a day over a prolonged period and was used by millions of patients.

A well documented side effect of this treatment was eyelash growth. The treatment is a prostaglandin analogue and it has since been found that these can act to stimulate the hair growth cycle, resulting in hair that is longer, thicker and darker. This resulted in many patients growing long thick eyelashes which were very noticeable. Some people did not necessarily find this a bad side effect and others desired the results that the treatment provided.

FDA approval under Latisse

In 2008, the American FDA gave approval for the cosmetic use of bimatoprost 0.03% under the name Latisse. The ingredients are the same as Lumigan, as are the concentrations of all the ingredients and the bottle that it is supplied in. The only difference is the packaging and that it is supplied with applicators. There is no difference between a bottle of Latisse vs Lumigan.

To gain FDA approval the safety profile of the treatment had to be studied. Luckily there was years of data on the use of the liquid directly on the eye and they found that there was significantly less side effects when applied to the skin, possibly due to the lower dose used as it is a smaller area and because the skin is less sensitive.

The results were also documented and it was found that the average trial participant grew eyelashes that were 25% longer, 106% thicker and 18% darker.

How do you apply Latisse?

The treatment comes with precision applicators and the liquid itself is within a smaller dropper bottle, the same as an eye drop bottle. You use the applicator to apply a very small amount of liquid to the skin at the base of the eyelashes. You can also use it to improve your eyebrows and we recommend our clients to use any excess liquid for doing this.

What results can you expect?

Studies have shown that normal results from using the treatment are:

☑ 106% THICKER

☑ 25% LONGER

☑ 18% DARKER

How soon will I see results?

The normal growth cycle for an eyelash takes about 2 or 3 weeks time for the initial results to become visible. The peak results take 16 weeks to develop. This is the length of time for most of your eyelashes to go through a complete cycle of growth, passing through all phases.