Can I use Latisse or Lumigan drops to make my eyebags smaller?

Thank you for your question. You’re wondering if you can use Lumigan to help reduce the size of your under eye bags, and I think this is quite an interesting question.A little about my background — I’m a Board-certified cosmetic surgeon and Fellowship-trained oculofacial plastic and reconstructive surgeon, practicing in Manhattan and Long Island for over 20 years. I specialize in cosmetic surgery of the eyelids and oculofacial plastic surgery, for which opthalmology is a prerequisite for, so I am trained in eye surgery and very familiar with drugs for ocular management such as Lumigan.Lumigan is a prostaglandin analog designed to help people with glaucoma. Glaucoma is a disease that causes an increase in pressure that causes the optic nerves to slowly decrease in strength and volume, until vision is lost. In the field of glaucoma management, treating pressure has an impact on the progression of the disease, and Lumigan can actually have an effect on this by allowing the aqueous humor, or the fluid that creates the pressure in the eye, to drain faster. Interestingly, one of the side effects of this showed the eyelashes to grow longer, which is why Lumigan was rebranded as an eyelash lengthener under the brand name Latisse.Another documented side effect that you should be aware of has to do with the loss of volume in the upper eyelid and eye muscles. Even though the drops are placed on the eye like regular eyedrops, keep in mind that they get absorbed by the eye and the conjunctiva, or the tissue around the eye, and can cause the aforementioned tissue loss, so there is potential for undesirable effects that can be problematic.Now, the timeframe in using the eyedrop to cause volume loss is not predictable. If it is affecting the fat under and above the eye and the eye muscles, then you are likely dealing with toxicity. Keep in mind that all eyedrops, especially drops that are used for therapeutic purposes, use preservatives that are absorbed by the eyes, though I can’t say for certain what kind of impact it will have on your ocular health. Currently, the only way to help this area would be through an eyedrop delivery system, however this mechanism of action is too complex to discuss in terms of the lay public. There could be a small possibility to use an injectable in the future, but as a surgeon who has performed hundreds of procedures on this area, I think it is far too tricky to inject in this space and not potentially create or encounter a problem that is vision threatening. When you’re talking about the inner workings of the eye, you are dealing with a very delicate structure that requires a great deal of finesse and skill to address.Ultimately, I would advise against the use of Lumigan in someone who is not diagnosed and is not being treated for glaucoma, due to the unpredictability of the results and the potential side effects and problems that could occur. In our practice, we address eye bags via surgery and we are able to take care of this in less than an hour, under local anesthesia with LITE™ sedation. The good thing about this is that once you do it, it’s done and you’re not having to deal with management anymore.I hope that was helpful and I wish you the best of luck!

I would not recommend using either to treat your eye bags. Instead, schedule a consultation with a board certified plastic surgeon to discuss your non surgical options such as fillers and laser. My best,
Dr. Sheila Nazarian
@drsheilanazarian on Instagram

people have reported this can occur but I do not see this in my practice/patients. I suggest seeing an expert for eye bag treatment or considering lasers and fillers for improvement.  Best, Dr. Emer.