Mylash are the UK experts in eye care and beauty. For over 17 years, we’ve helped people to grow their lashes with Mylash Growth Treatment, the only clinically proven growth treatment available in the UK.

Mylash was founded by Dr. Tom Walker, an expect in lash care who has advised thousands of patients and been featured in dozens of prestigious publications. Dr. Walker’s priority has always been to ensure the safety and awareness of Mylash’s valued customers, and to offer impartial advice to those seeking treatment, whether for solely cosmetic reasons or to address a health condition that affects hair growth.

Dr. Walker continues to write articles for the advice and care of Mylash’s customers.

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Featured article: Mylash and Trichotillomania

What is Trichotillomania?

Trichotillomania is a condition characterised by compulsive plucking of hair from an individuals own body. It can effect anyone of either sex and any age, but most commonly starts in the teenage years and effects three times as many women as men.

The condition can have a profound effect on a sufferers life, and the cause is unknown. It can be secondary to another condition, such as post traumatic stress disorder, but often there is no obvious trigger. There is ongoing research that suggests that there may be a genetic component to the condition.

Most sufferers pull hair from the scalp, but eyebrows and eyelashes are also very common sites. Hair loss in any way can be distressing and may lead to further anxiety. This may act as a stimulus for further pulling.

It’s not always a conscious decision to pull the hair. 80% of sufferers pull ‘automatically’ without consciously choosing to do so.

How can we treat Trichotillomania?

The treatment for trichotillomania is not primarily pharmaceutical. It requires therapy that acts to change the behaviour of the sufferer to limit then stop pulling of hair. If you think you have trichotillomania, and have not already done so, I strongly recommend talking to your GP; they will be able to provide you with help and arrange for a structured treatment plan. If medication is offered, it would be to support the ongoing therapy.

People with trichotillomania have also been using Mylash Growth Treatment, as a treatment for eyelash and eyebrow pulling. When used alongside a treatment plan, such as behavioural therapy, it can help to improve the outcomes. Users see results faster than with therapy alone, making is easier for them to adhere to the program as a whole.

What is Mylash Growth Treatment?

Mylash Growth Treatment is the UK brand name for a 0.03 mg/ml solution of bimatoprost. The same product is available in the US, under the name of Latisse. The treatment was originally an eye drop treatment for glaucoma, called Lumigan. Lumigan users developed longer, thicker and darker lashes throughout treatment. The solution was soon submitted for FDA approval.

When applied to the skin at the base of the eyelashes, it acts to stimulate their growth cycle and results in increased eyelash growth. The treatment also works on eyebrows, to thicken and darken. It received FDA approval in 2008 and since then, millions of people have grown their eyelashes with the solution.

Neither Mylash Growth Treatment nor Latisse are a cure for trichotillomania, or a front line therapy for the condition. When used to encourage the patient, however, they could help the success rate and recovery time. Current independent clinical evidence supporting its use is sparse and consists of case studies rather than randomised controlled trials.

Anecdotally, internet forums and blogs suggest that individual sufferers benefit from the treatment. We look forward to seeing further research to determine its efficacy in this case.

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