Week Five - Awesomeness!

With the right mascara, my eyelashes start to resemble butterfly wings. My eyebrows are growing in at a fantastic rate - I missed one application this week (and the rest of my nightly routine) - but things are going at a great pace. I am happy. I'm concentrating more of the formula on my eyebrows now so that the ends will start to fill in, and extra bits (I still put two drops in the cap of the formula and swish the applicator brush in that) go on my eyelashes.

Added some mascara - Maybelline Lash Stiletto in black (my eyelashes are still pretty light naturally - I am a natural blonde) and took it at a different angle so you could see the eyebrow progress better too (I don't might them coming in darker and have been told for ages by hair stylists that this would happen).

No make up, eyebrows coming in well!

I cannot tell you how excited I am about this progress. I have pulled a few hairs here and there, but otherwise have stayed strong, and the sped-up results with Latisse really helps morale. If you've experienced the woes of trich, you can definitely imagine how often I stare and pet my new eyebrows in the mirror. I'm not worried about shaping them much yet; I would be fine with Brooke Shields-type thick brows; I've been so long without!

Week Four - OMG!

Okay, first of all - if you compulsively pull your hair out, you will love the immediate effects of Latisse. That being said, you have to commit not to pull your hair. And I have wasted about $20 of my commitment, and my tight budges makes me easily swayed by the "you're wasting money!" accusation in my head. So. I present to you. Week. Four.

I tried to get the best light I could. My facialist told me that my eyelashes looked thicker, and mine are blonde, so here in a few weeks I'll put one up with mascara (can't be bothered at the moment) to show you the true effects, but this is just week four and I'm so happy. Look at my eyebrows! The left one in particular looks nearly normal in the front. And little hairs are sprouting past the arches; I concentrated my application on the front part of the brows these past few weeks, so now I'll graze them and place more formula on the ends. The lady at the cash register where I bought my new box of Latisse (more on that in a sec) commented on the obvious effects on my lashes. And I barely use it there. How do I use Latisse? Sort of exactly how they tell you.

1. Get brushes. I use one now.
2. Drop two drops of Latisse product into the bottle's cap.
3. Swish brush in Latisse.
4. Apply. Swish and apply until formula is gone.
5. Discard used brush.

Okay, bad news. Went to Arizona for a wedding and despite the fact that I'd double-wrapped my bottle of Latisse, somehow it leaked. So I had about a week left - or two? - that got wasted. Oh well. Working great so far, just a dent in ye olde pocketbook. Contemplating buying generic Lumigen, but that's all scary internet stuff that I don't want to get into right now. I'm already using it without a 'scrip. Anyway, all good news to report from this user! Only slightly itchy eyes sometimes after applying. That's it. Loving this stuff.

Week Three - Results Already!

Okay, I was slack and didn't post anything last week (I was also out of town), but I'd like to report that Latisse is really working! My eyebrows are thicker and fuller than they've ever been, and my eyelashes are a bit thicker. I tend to put two drops of Latisse in the cap that the dropper bottle comes with, then swirl both brushes around in the product. I then "paint" Latisse on my eyebrow and use the remainder on my lashes, then do the same with the next brush/eye.

Three weeks in using Latisse for my eyebrows and lashes; I'm so happy with the fast results!

As you might be able to tell, comparing May 8th's photo to this one, my eyebrows are coming in thickest in the inner corners, and the eyebrow on the right is seeing more hair growing on the arch. I'll try to play with my camera (instead of using my PhotoBooth camera on my computer) so that you can see more as the growth progresses.

My facialist told me that her cousin has been using Latisse for about six months and has "butterfly wing" lashes, so I'm eager to see how this works out for me. In terms of side-effects, my eyelids are a little itchy in the mornings, but other than that I'm pleased. I'll keep you posted as the hair keeps coming in!

Latisse, Week One

Hi, my name is Jen and I have trichotillomania, a disorder where I pull hair compulsively.

(Hi, Jen!).

According to the Trichotillomania Learning Center Website:

Trichotillomania (trick-o-til-o-MAY-nee-ah) is a disorder that causes people to pull out the hair from their scalp, eyelashes, eyebrows, pubic area, underarms, beard, chest, legs or other parts of the body, resulting in noticeable bald patches. Hair pulling varies greatly in its severity, location on the body, and response to treatment. For some people, at some times, trichotillomania is mild and can be quelled with a bit of extra awareness and concentration. For others, at times the urge may be so strong that it makes thinking of anything else nearly impossible.

Trichotillomania (also referred to as TTM or "trich") is currently defined as an impulse control disorder but there are still questions about how it should be classified. It may seem to resemble a habit, an addiction, a tic disorder or obsessive-compulsive disorder. Most recently, it is being conceptualized as part of a family of "body-focused repetitive behaviors" (BFRBs) along with skin picking and nail biting.

I've had "trich" since I was in middle school (I'm now entering my 30's) and drawing in my eyebrows has become a daily routine - the make-up artists at the MAC counter say I'm pretty good at it - but I hate it. I've been going to therapy for it, I've tried to re-grow the hair using castor oil, vitamin E, biotin, etc., but, of course, I still pull and thus still have no eyebrows. My "pulling" in concentrated on my eyebrows and eyelashes, though I've come a long way with the lashes (I actually have some, though they are blonde and thin). 

So this summer (the season when I seem to be able to not pull hair out and hair grows faster) I decided to try something drastic: spending $125 on Latisse, the new wonder-drug for fuller lashes. By spending $125 (and I'm on a budget) I've also vowed to leave my face alone (at least for the 16 weeks the product requires) and see if this works. Money is generally a good "carrot" to make me commit to something.

I could've tried Rogaine, but I'm scared to put it on my face. After checking this lady's experience out, as well as this one, I decided Latisse would be the way to go. I'll be blogging for a couple of months about this experiment; let's see if it works. I've currently been using Latisse on my brows and lashes for a week. The only side effect I've had is some minor itchiness after applying the product to my lashes, but otherwise, no worries. I am a little spooked that, once you stop using the product, your hair growth goes "back" to where it was before - does that mean if I grow eyebrows they'll fall out? We'll see.

Latisse, Week One

As you can see, I have most of my lashes (there's a bald area on the right one) and there are a few myriad eyebrow hairs, but otherwise my upper face is kinda bald. 

If you've tried this and it worked, please let me know! If you've tried this and it hasn't worked, please, let me know! If you have nothing nice to say... don't. Thanks!