Monday, November 19, 2007

The Eyes Have It

Do you want longer, fuller lashes? Does your mascara clump?

Perhaps you should consider glaucoma meds.

It apparently doesn't matter if you have glaucoma or not. Just ask your doc for the prescription.

Doctors and patients alike have noticed that eyelash growth is a side effect of a glaucoma drug called Lumigan

Wonder what other "hairy parts" are affected?

Lorrie Klein, a cosmetic dermatologist in Laguna Niguel, Calif., says she started prescribing Lumigan after noticing "beautiful, long lashes" on a patient using Lumigan for glaucoma. Now, Dr. Klein promotes Lumigan on her Web site as "easy to use at home with only a once daily application" for "one to three months to achieve the desired length, and then once weekly for maintenance." She advises patients to use a disposable brush to apply the drug.

Dr. Klein says she feels comfortable prescribing Lumigan because it comes from Allergan, which sells other dermatological drugs and products. Some of her patients, she says, work for Allergan and have told her the company has recruited subjects for a clinical trial of Lumigan for cosmetic use. Dr. Klein notes that Lumigan's safety has been validated by FDA tests. "It's scary to me as a physician that some cosmetic companies are slipping in a prescription drug," she said.


So . . . Dr. Klein has no problem promoting Lumigan for cosmetic purposes, but does have a problem when cosmetic companies want to "slip in" a prescription drug.

Isn't this a double standard?
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