How I Managed the Lost Eyelashes Part 2

The first patient from the previous blog was a 30 year-old woman who had a smaller area of eyelash loss. I suggested to her that I would excise the area of defect using the partial thickness technique. The defect would then be covered with sliding flaps by spliting the grey line (the border that separates the front and back of the eyelid; see picture below).

However, she was reluctant to undergo the procedure as she was concerned about scarring and the duration of recovery. The alternative would be eyelash tranplant using hair follicles from the scalp but I have never performed this procedure. Either way she was reluctant to undergo any surgical procedure and asked if I were able to give her something that could make the eyelashes grow again. When I looked at the defect closer, I noticed she had three eyelashes in the area of the defect (red arrows showing the eyelashes at the area of defect).

So I prescribed her a bottle of xalatan (latanoprost) and advised her to apply the drop to the area of the defect every night. Xalatan which is used for glaucoma has long been known to make the eyelashes grow longer and darker. Although it may not cause the eyelashes to regrow, I hope it may make the remaining eyelashes to grow thicker and darker and mask the area of the defect. Xalatan has the same effect but cheaper than the recently launched product LATISSE® (bimatoprost ophthalmic solution) 0.03% for eyelash growth.

I shall review the patient again in four weeks and report any changes in this blog.