Eyelash Lengtheners Serums Melt Pat Pads Under Eyes

There have been the latest trends of the use of prostaglandin analogues (PGA) lash lengthener serums to get those long thick voluminous lashes. In some cases, these lash lengthener products' ingredient list shows no mention of PGAs in the ingredient list. It was only identified on careful interrogation of the separate product information sheet. Because of this, these lash serums were not fully tested for safety and efficacy because of this discrepancy. Do you know the side effects of the lash lengthening serums?

What are PGAs?

PGA is a family of drugs, prescribed in eyedrop form, to provide efficient and stable control of intraocular pressure with relatively few side effects.  and are now a popular antiglaucoma treatment. Many patients prescribed PGA eye drops noted lengthening, thickening, and darkening of their eyelashes. It has been long-established that these topical PGAs have a common side effect of periorbital volume loss. In other words, the fat pads under your eye are deteriorating. A study was conducted to further investigate the validity of PGA causing periorbital volume loss through a series of graders grading “before and after photos”. 

Popular Brand that Contains PGA in their Eyelash Serums

• Rodan and Fields R+F Lash Boost

• Babe Lash Essential Serum

• GrandeLASH-MD Lash Enhancing Serum

• Revitalash Advanced Eyelash Conditioner

• RapidLash Eyelash Enhancing Serum

• NeuLASH Lash Enhancing Serum

• UKLASH Eyelash Serum 

Case Study of Ceasing PGA Treatment 

In a case study, a 35-year-old female developed thin, wrinkled, darker skin, and periorbital hollowing after 10 months of PGA treatment. Thankfully, the effects of PGA were reversible after 6 months after discontinuation of the treatment. The patient reported a 90% to 95% return to her pre-PGA appearance. A blinded randomized controlled study was conducted consisting of 5 graders (3 expert and 2 layperson) grading 15 “before and after pictures for various categories. The images were divided into 3 groups: treatment group (prostaglandin analogue lash lengthener [PGALL]), control groups (non–prostaglandin analogue lash lengthener [NPGALL]), and false lashes [FL]) extracted from lash lengthener websites based on the presentation of the under eye. The PGALL and NPGALL images were directly extracted from the website advertising the lash lengthener products. The grading scales are ranged from 0 (no changes), 1 (only one change), and 2 (more than one change). It was found that the average score of 8.2 (of 19) in the PGALL group, 2.3 in the NPGALL group, and 3.2 in the FL group. PGALL scores were significantly higher than scores in the NPGALL and FL groups. Therefore, it can be concluded that these lash lengthening serums containing PGA does significantly hollow the under eye.  

Treatment for PGA periorbital hollowing.

Although these eyelash serums are deemed relatively safe, deciding whether to continue or cease using eyelash growth serums will depend on your individual risk factors including skin sensitivity and condition. The best treatment if you have been using PGA based eyelash lengthener is to stop using it entirely. In the case study, the pre orbital fat pad under the eyes was restored after discontinuation. There are some eyelash lenghethers serums that do not contain PGA, it is important to read labels and fully research the side effects based on the ingredients.  

Conclusion

It is important that consumers are made aware of the possibility of periorbital volume loss prior to commencing treatment with PGALLs. Regardless, it is always a good thing to do your own research before trusting products or procedures advertised to you. They may give you something you desired but there are consequences that advertisers choose not to tell.