Will Latisse Cause Hair Growth if It Gets in the Eyes?

Question

I heard a story that if you got Latisse in your eye or underneath your eyelid, hair would grow on your eye, or under your eyelid. Apparently, it happened to one woman. Is this possible?

Jon Dishler, MD, FACS · Answer

Hair can only grow where hair has grown before, and it requires a complex known as the hair follicle.  There are no hairs growing on the eye itself, and in fact the same exact medication is used for glaucoma marketed as Lumigan.  There are no "hairy eyeballs" in patients who use Lumigan in their eye for glaucoma, and likewise if some accidently got into the eye when treating the eyelases, there would be no hair growth on the eyeball.
Some people have hair in their medial canthus in the area of the caruncle which is the fleshy area in the inner corner of the eye.  This tissue having hair elements and some skin elements, might have this hair grow thicker or longer if stimulated although I am not aware that this has been demonstrated with Latisse.  Furthermore, if Latisse is applied correctly, it should not ever get into the eye in any case.
Although there is an expression of giving someone the "hairy eyeball" it was not caused by Latisse.

Janet M. Neigel, MD · Answer

I have not heard of this urban tale of Latisse getting in the eye and causing hair growth.  Latisse needs hair follicles in order to work and there are none in the eye, only on the eyelid.  Latisse is also Lumigan, a glaucoma drop that is put directly into the eye and has been used for many years with no reports of hairy eyeballs, only eyelids.

Will Latisse Cause Hair Growth if It Gets in the Eyes?

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Will Latisse Cause Hair Growth if It Gets in the Eyes?

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Everything you need to know about Latisse

Our mission is to create a world where every investment in modern beauty is Worth It.