Question

deal of advertising is about problems and inadequacies, the tangible
and intangible shortcomings in your life that could be neatly resolved with
a satisfying purchase. This may be most true in the case of advertising for
prescription products, the subtext of which is always what might ail you:
trouble sleeping, trouble having sex, troubles of the body and the mind that
you might “ask your doctor” about, soon.

If you’ve heard of eyelash hypotrichosis, for instance, you probably heard
about it from an ad for Latisse, which of course is a prescription product
that is meant to solve the problem of eyelash hypotrichosis. In the spot,
Brooke Shields describes the problem as “inadequate or not enough lashes.”
She evidently had this problem herself, because she tells us that she has
been using Latisse, which caused the growth of more, thicker lashes. Ask a
doctor, she suggests – adding that you can visit the Latisse Web site to
find one. It’s applied daily with a special applicator and costs about $120
a month.

Latisse is a recent offering from Allergan, the company best known for
Botox, its physician-administered cosmetic-injection product. Like Botox
(and like a number of other prescription drugs, including Viagra), Latisse
came about indirectly. During clinical testing of a glaucoma medication
called Lumigan, Allergan’s researchers noted a side effect: eyelash growth.
Recognizing the market potential for such a thing, the company conducted a
new safety-and-efficacy study, this time making the former side effect the
main focus, explained Robert Grant, the president of Allergan Medical, the
company’s aesthetic-products division. In December, the Food and Drug
Administration gave Allergan clearance for this new use. By May, Latisse ads
were on the air, and in its first three months on the market, the product
totaled about $12 million in sales. That’s nothing compared with Botox,
which has annual sales that exceed half a billion dollars for cosmetic
use,but it does suggest that there is a bigger market for
eyelash-hypotrichosis relief than you might have guessed before Latisse’s
promotional campaign began.

That campaign, it should be noted, avoids the explicit you’ve-got-a-problem
tone of typical pharmaceutical marketing. In fact, it has a rather glamorous
feel. “Grow longer, fuller and darker lashes!” the voice-over in the Shields
ad gushes over a chipper club beat. We zero in on the actress’s baby blues.
It’s all as upbeat as any cosmetics ad. The company has even added a
cause-marketing pitch with donations to the Make-a-Wish Foundation.

When it sinks in that this is something you need a doctor to obtain, it’s
oddly reassuring. Inadequate eyelashes aren’t simply a matter of looks; they’re
a problem serious enough that the F.D.A. itself had to be brought in to sign
off on a treatment, right? Clearly the logic I’ve just suggested is
wrongheaded: the Food and Drug Administration doesn’t offer opinions about
what needs treating; it evaluates drugs containing certain ingredients that
require approval.But we don’t always evaluate sales pitches with perfect
logic. (Well, you do, I’m sure, but you probably know somebody who doesn’t.)
And in any case, Allergan isn’t making a disease-related claim about Latisse
but rather positioning it, like Botox, as part of what the company calls a
“science of rejuvenation.”

John Mack, who publishes the e-newsletter Pharma Marketing News, notes that
some critics of contemporary medicine complain of disease mongering – the
conversion of what used to be routine dissatisfactions of life into medical
conditions, often treatable with drugs. But he agrees that Latisse, like
Botox, makes no pretense of addressing a medical condition, just a cosmetic
one. What he wonders about are consumers who hear “F.D.A. approved” as
meaning “completely safe.” The ad mentions potential side effects like
itching and redness and that if Latisse comes into regular contact with the
eye there is “potential for increased brown iris pigmentation, which is
likely permanent.” The latter had Mack somewhat jokingly fretting on his
blog about whether Shields’s baby blues might turn brown. His real point:
“Many people don’t read the side effects.”

Hypotrichosis aside, then, Latisse isn’t disease mongering. But is it
inadequacy mongering? Defining eyelash adequacy is largely subjective. And
if Brooke Shields – who, after all, is basically great-looking for a
living – didn’t have adequate eyelashes, who does? Grant says that this is a
matter for a patient and a doctor to discuss. He also notes that mascara is
a billion-dollar business in the United States.

“Let’s just put it this way,” he says. “There is a very large demand for
eyelash enhancement. Eyelashes are a very important part of a woman’s beauty
regimen.” Any given individual’s eyelashes may not look inadequate to other
people, he allows, but that person still “may feel they are inadequate.” And
that, perhaps, is all it takes.

Answer

That campaign, it should be noted, avoids the explicit
you’ve-got-a-problem tone of typical pharmaceutical marketing. In fact, it
has a rather glamorous feel. “Grow longer, fuller and darker lashes!” the
voice-over in the Shields ad gushes over a chipper club beat. We zero in
on the actress’s baby blues. It’s all as upbeat as any cosmetics ad. The
company has even added a cause-marketing pitch with donations to the
Make-a-Wish Foundation.

It also fails to mention the fact that you might have to start cutting
your eyelashes.

Yahoo Answer

Question 1

Eyelash problems?

Ok For more than a yr and a half, Ive had eyelash/skin problems. Its all right on my lash line, my skin peels, and i loose almost all my eyelashs! I used to have thick eyelashes now i dont have very many. Is it becouse I wear makeup? I think it started somewhat before i started using makup. I use this stuff called sty, i put it on every night, once my skin stoped peeling And I think I kept using it, and it came back. Is there anything I can do? Are there any cheap medications? I want my skin to stop peeling there and my eyelashes to grow back.
Oh and I only use eyeshadow on my eyes, I dont use mascara, i did for awhiel then stoped becouse it looked so bad. I though about buying mabalene clear mascara, it says it conditions. Can anyone help me

Best Answer – Chosen by Voters

I would go in to the doctor for that one, Sounds like you have some allergy or skin irritation. you may even have chronic Impetigo. Or A staff infection. What ever you do, don’t touch any other area of your face after messing with it. Wash you hands alot! To keep it from spreading

Question 2

Eyelash Problems?

one set of my eyelashes is thicker and a little longer than the other. the side that is thinner and shorter always comes out perfect when i put on mascara. i use an eyelash brush on the thicker side a lot but it still takes awhile to get it the way i want it. would an eyelash curler fix this?

(5)

·         Answerer 1

I doubt an eyelash curler would fix your issue but they sure do make your eyes look good. I use one everytime I do make up. Shu Uemura and Kevyn Aucoin are the best.

·         Answerer 2

You could try an eyelash curler but it’s not going to help with the actual mascara part. I have a similar problem but one of my eyes has thinner eyelashes than the other eye so I just spend a little more time on that eye. People probably don’t ever notice anyway!!

·         Answerer 3

yeh use an eyelash curler, i think they r $5 and then apply a lil mascara

·         Answerer 4

try not putting mascara on the thicker side. it may sound weird, and you may think everyone will notice, but they won’t

·         Answerer 5

The Tricks to Keep Your Eyes as Focus…

The trick is to keep your eyes as the focus. Stay away from frosted or pearlised shadows, which are distracting Use matte, neutral tones for cheeks and lips.
http://www.facenbodycare.com/makeup_tric…

Question 3

What are the real problems with eyelash curlers?

So, eyelash curlers get a lot of bad press, what are the real disadvantages and how can they be avoided?

Best Answer – Chosen by Voters

I use them occasionally, and never have missing lashes. I think they’re really awkward to use, and some people end up squeezing too hard. You have to get it at just the right spot: very close to the root, but not so close that it plucks out lashes.

I guess practice makes perfect, but it’s not worth losing lashes in the process. I love me a good pair of falsies though!

Question 4

1 week away from the dance and having eyelash problems?

I have a dance in 1 week and my eyelashes have been falling out. I don’t wash my face roughly or sleep with make up. I’ve lost around 10 lashes in the past 2 days and I don’t touch them. Why are they falling out? I have really long and full eyelashes but now they have gaps. Do I wear fake ones? I want my eyelashes back, I have considered fake ones but I don’t want to look fake. Ideas? thanks

Best Answer – Chosen by Voters

Put some vaseline on them before going to bed. Vaseline makes the eyelashes stronger

Pretty sure this will help!

Question 5

Do I see an MD or a OD for eyelash problems?

My upper eyelashes have always grown downward since I was born. However recently it’s been bothering me, and I feel that I constantly have something poking into the my eyes on the sides and I suspect its the eyelashes. Would I see a family doctor, an OD or a plastic surgeon for this? Thanks in advance

·         Answerer 1

Personally, I’d start with an eye doctor. You might have diagnosed yourself incorrectly and if there’s something wrong with your eyes (say, for instance, you’ve scratched a cornea or have pink eye) s/he’ll be able to get you on the right track.

Question 6

Umm, what shud I do, eyelash problems…?

I just overcurled my lashes and now they have ugly creases on them, wat shud I do? i need to go out tonight, help!

Best Answer – Chosen by Voters

try watering them down, and use soap or sumthing, and then curl them again. dont forget the mascara!!! good luck!!!

Question 7

Eyelash problems help please?

So almost evey 3 months i grow a long blonde eyelash that reaches up to almost half of my nose, then i’d have to pluck it i never really showed it to my parents but whenever i tell them bout it they wont believe me.
so i just wanted to know, is this normal?!

Answers (2)

·         Answerer 1

Defiantly not.

·         Answerer 2

Weird…
A blonde eyelash that reaches up to almost half of your nose?

It’s not normal but I don’t think it’s a major problem, try to forget about it. If it grows out again, tell your mother, just don’t pluck it out so she can believe you.

Question 8

Eyelash problems ugh!?

I know that this is a common question asked but none of the suggestions I saw worked for me. When I curl my eyelashes and apply mascara, my lashes immediately uncurl. If try to re-curl again, my lashes turn clumpy and bend at different ways even if I comb them out with a mini eyelash comb. A normal eyelash curler doesn’t work and heated eyelash curlers don’t work either. Maybe I’m not ment to wear mascara…any suggestions or ideas?

Best Answer – Chosen by Asker

I love curling my lashes and have definitely experienced everything you wrote. What you need to do is get a good lash curler (I have yet to find one that beats a Tweezerman, though I hear good things about the Shu Uemura). My lashes are stubborn so it takes some time to get a good curl. Don’t forget that curling your lashes doesn’t mean squeezing them between a lash curler once for each eye. If you do that, you just get a 90 degree kink. You have to curl the tip, center and base of the lash and then curl inbetween to fill in and get a nice even curve if you have long lashes so that you don’t have a series of 90 degree kinks. (If you have really stubborn lashes, you can try a heated lash curler or zap your regular one with a blow dryer for a few seconds to heat it up). Then, this is the key: use waterproof mascara! (My favorite is L’Oreal’s double extend) Regular mascara is better for your lashes because waterproof dries them out, but waterproof won’t pull out the curl like regular mascara does, so its a trade-off. Also, make sure you stay away from those new plastic applicator wands, they pull the curl right out. I had to stop using covergirl mascara because they changed all their wands into that material. Make sure you scrape off the applicator tip on the rim of the mascara tube so you don’t have globs of mascara on the wand. Its easier to apply a few thin coats rather than one clumpy coat you have to comb out which will also pull out the curl. Give the mascara a few minutes to dry and then if you need one more run through with the curler to boost the curl go ahead, but don’t do the whole lash, just one quick pinch at your lash line. If you get mascara residue on your curler, have a cotton ball or q-tip handy to wipe it off before you use it again so your lashes don’t start sticking to the curler and clumping.

Question 9

Eyelash Problems! Please Help!?

So i have really stubborn eyelashes. I would curl them then put mascara on but they won’t stay curled. So I would have to curl them again, which is really bad for my eyelashes. I basically tried everything: used a blow drier, curled them a lot, heated eyelash curlers ,ETC.

So how do i get my eyelashes to curl and do them really good??????????

Best Answer – Chosen by Voters

A lot of times the problem is in the mascara. Some mascaras can make eyelashes heavy and can’t support the weight of a curled eyelash.
I have a lot, a LOT, of mascara. From$5 drug store brands to $30 “name brand” mascaras. For your basic curly lashes, I like smashbox lash DNA. I put mine on this morning around 10 and my lashes are still curly, and it costs $19. Dior Show is very good for keeping a curl and giving volume and length as opposed to simply defining lashes like the Lash DNA. The Dior Show is $24, but worth it I think.
There is no drug store brand mascara that I have that will hold a curl all day, and I have maybelline, almay, covergirl, and mark. None of those work well for curling for me, mostly because my lashes are not naturally very curly, and nothing happens after using an eyelash curler either

Question 10

Problems with eyelash curler?

I’m not a young girl who just started using makeup, but lately when I use my eyelash curler-it will curl my eyelashes, but as soon as I put the mascara on they go all flat again, this never used to happen to me and I don’t know what the problem is. The only way I can get them to stay curly is if I use the curler after I put on the mascara which I don’t like to do, please help!

Best Answer – Chosen by Voters

It could have to do with what kind of lash curler you have and how old it is. Since you’ve never had this problem before then it could be you’re lash curler has worn out it’s spring. maybe it’s just time for a new one!

I recommend Shu Uemura’s eyelash curler:
“What it is:
The one and only shu uemura Eyelash Curler is now even better! This iconic tool, adored by professional makeup artists and celebrities world-wide, has been redesigned to deliver the perfect curl with ultimate precision.

What it does:
Perfectly measured and finely balanced, the new shu uemura Eyelash Curler is designed to ensure superior functionality and performance. The upgraded silicone pad in a new “mushroom” shape provides a protective, stay-put edge for improved safety and optimum curl. The new, patented hinge is specifically engineered to apply the perfect amount of pressure on eyelashes. The calculated shape, size of frame length and ergonomic handles ensure stability and control, while the curved angle suits all eye shapes.

What else you need to know:
For optimal results, hygiene and safety, it is strongly recommended that the Eyelash Curler be cleaned with each use. In addition, to maintain its precision performance, the silicone pad should be changed after 3 months of use (a replacement pad is included) and the Eyelash Curler should be replaced altogether after 6 months.”

I think you can actually make it last a year, by replacing the pad after 6 mo.

ps. a tip: make sure you’re curling the lashes at the base of the lash and that you follow right away with a mascara or mascara primer.
Apply from side to side to give the curl volume and then pull up and out to extend it