Dr. Richard Baxter

It is unfortunate that you have been diagnosed with cataracts but there is no medical reason why Latisse would have anything to do with it. For one, Latisse is applied to the eyelid, not the eye, and even it it was,the active ingredient is the same as a glaucoma drug that is put into the eye without any known association with cataracts.

It is possible that you had an allergic reaction but more likely you just got it into your eye instead of on the skin at the base of the eyelash. One effect of the active ingredient is vasodilation, in other words the blood vessels dilate giving you a red eye. It is harmless and in any case avoidable if you just keep it out of the eye.

There are a couple of very important things to keep in mind with Latisse. First of all, it is a prescription drug and so you should see a doctor in order to get it; be wary of any online sources that don't verify the prescription. Secondly, the active ingredient is the same as in Lumigan, but that product is for glaucoma. There are a lot of issues that come up when prescribing a drug for a disease that you don't have, and the dosing is worked out very precisely with the applicator system that Latisse uses. And of course the ingredient is no longer available in any other brand.

As a plastic surgeon who does a lot of Thermage, I get upset when I hear stories about cases where it was painful and ineffective. If it is excruciating, the settings are too high! That is where complications occur and it doesn't work better either. And if there is a lot of loose skin, it isn't going to work anyway. Thermage is NOT an alternative to a tummy tuck or a facelift.

I think the pattern of responses you see consistently reflect the impression that Thermage works for some but not others. The problem is that is has been hyped so much and expectations inflated, so that people who should have had a facelift end up disappointed. It is not a nonsurgical facelift or a nonsurgical tummy tuck. In making a decision for a treatment like Thermage, you should talk with a plastic surgeon who can offer all options, surgical and noninvasive, so that you can make a truly informed decision based on realistic expectations.