Patients with hypotrichosis may experience significant eyelash growth, thickening with bimatoprost, researchers say

Following a previous story, MedPage Today (3/12, Bankhead) reported that, according to clinical trial results presented at the American Academy of Dermatology meeting, “patients with skimpy eyelashes experienced significant growth and thickening when they applied bimatoprost (Latisse), a drug normally used to treat glaucoma.” Researchers from Therapeutics Clinical Research in San Diego, CA, explained that nearly “80 percent of” 278 “patients with hypotrichosis had at least a one-grade improvement in eyelash score after four months of treatment with bimatoprost,” whereas “fewer than 20 percent of patients in a vehicle control group met the one-grade improvement criterion.” The authors theorized that “bimatoprost promotes eyelash development and growth by stimulating the transition from telogen to anagen and prolonging anagen.” Notably, “fewer than four percent of patients encountered adverse events during the trial.” MedPage Today noted that in late 2008, “the FDA approved bimatoprost for eyelash growth.”