The FDA has approved the prostaglandin analog bimatoprost in a 0.03% solution (Latisse – Allergan) for increasing eyelash length, thickness and darkness in patients with hypotrichosis of the eyelashes. The same drug, marketed as Lumigan (Allergan), is indicated for reduction of elevated intraocular pressure (IOP) in patients with open-angle glaucoma or ocular hypertension1; it was during clinical trials for this indication that increased eyelash length was frequently observed in patients taking bimatoprost.

BACKGROUND — How prostaglandin analogs cause hair growth is unknown. Prostaglandin receptors can be found in the dermal papilla and outer root sheaths of hair follicles.2 Administered topically or systemically, these drugs have led to hair regrowth in macaque monkeys with androgenetic alopecia and in mice with radiation or doxorubicin-induced ... more      

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