Claire Danes Suffering From Latisse Side Effects: Report

Much has been said about the side effects of FDA-approved eyelash enhancement drug Latisse, but is spokeswoman Claire Danes secretly suffering from an adverse reaction? Page Six writes, "a source claims that Danes' makeup artist has to plaster on concealer to cover the purplish and yellowish shade," and that the damage to the area around her eyes is pretty hard to cover up.

Claire's handlers told Page Six, "Your claims are entirely false. We will pursue legal action if you print anything to the contrary. This story should be killed." The folks at Latisse stayed calm, explaining Claire hasn't "experienced skin hyperpigmentation."

However, Claire does divulge in her Latisse video diary, "When I first started using Latisse, I did actually have a side effect. The skin around my eyes [was] a little bit red. That lasted for about a week. Since then, no, I haven't had any side effects."

According to Latisse's website:

The most common side effects after using Latisse are an itching sensation in the eyes and/or eye redness, which were reported in approximately 4% of clinical trial patients. Latisse solution may cause other less common side effects which typically occur close to where Latisse is applied. These include skin darkening, eye irritation, dryness of the eyes and redness of the eyelids.

...which is some pretty serious stuff.

What do you think?

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Would you use Latisse?

SURE! It's FDA approved...it's probably safe.

NO! Don't put that stuff near me.

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Claire on December 4 (left) and back in 2007 (right):

Comments

[Debbi Mihelic]

05:31 AM on 02/07/2011

There's a thing called mascara. Use it.

[ohwow77]

06:06 PM on 12/17/2010

WOW. SCARY SIDE EFFECTS. ALL IN THE NAME OF BEAUTY, HUH. NOT FOR ME.

[arthurb3]

05:29 PM on 12/17/2010

I prefer wearing falsies!!!!
:-)

[LiberalInTexas]

05:28 PM on 12/17/2010

The problem with Latisse is that it is outrageously expensive, not covered by most insurance plans, and only works as long as you keep using it. Would you pay $5 a day to have slightly better eyelashes? IMHO, 95% of people who buy this stuff either have money to burn and/or are fooling themselves about how it will improve their appearance, let alone their lives.

[Charming Handle]

06:03 PM on 12/17/2010

I don't think Latisse is covered at all by the insurance companies, and is about $125 for a small bottle that's supposed to be for 30 days. The way I got around that (and a tip I learned from a makeup artist) is I bought a thin eyeliner brush from Sephora for $11. The problem with the brushes that you get from Latisse is that they're cheap and are made of stiff plastic so a drop just rolls right off of it OR the brush absorbs it. My bottle lasted about 6 months! So to me, approx $20 a month isn't bad at all.

[Charming Handle]

06:05 PM on 12/17/2010

P.S. I get compliments on my eyelashes all the time.

[SF TKF]

05:06 PM on 12/17/2010

My eyes are green and I'd like to keep them that way, thank you very much!

[epiphany24]

03:34 PM on 12/17/2010

Eyelash enhancer??? WTF?? Mascara?

[Charming Handle]

06:00 PM on 12/17/2010

It's a liquid that you brush onto your eyelash line before bed, and after about 2 months they grow longer and thicker. Personally, I love it.

[stagebandman]

02:57 PM on 12/17/2010

Claire Danes has always looked a little off. I don't think there's anything different from usual in these pics.

[Charming Handle]

01:57 PM on 12/17/2010

Okay, wait. I have never commented before, but I was reading through these and I have to say something. I've been using Latisse for over a year and have never had any negative side effects. Yes, there are potential side effects, but I can't say I've had any personally. Also, my mother and my sister use it, my sister's coworkers, and the makeup artists, facialists, dermatologists and spa employees that I've met and talked to use it. We all LOVE it. If you don't think using a drug is worth it, then that's cool. But it works, it does what it says it does, I haven't had any problems with it (and no one else I've met who uses it ever has, either), and for someone who's always had tiny lashes, it's been pretty awesome.

[Charming Handle]

02:01 PM on 12/17/2010

A couple more points. My mother accidentally mixed up the Latisse bottle with a Visine bottle once. No problem. And I recently visited an opthalmologist, who confirmed my vision is still 20/20 and my eyes are healthy.

[Samirah1368]

05:59 PM on 12/17/2010

glad it is working for you. really.

[maxfax]

01:39 PM on 12/17/2010

The risk is not worth it.

[bluehand]

10:18 AM on 12/17/2010

It does not make sense to use a drug in order to have long, or thicker eyelashes. Why risk your skin, or even eyes for that. Although I understand there are some people who have loss of eyelashes, and maybe be using it for that, but it still not worth the risk. Makeup can be used to compensate for this. Other wise, please ladies (and a few fellas) just use mascara.

[Marta Wohrle]

10:15 AM on 12/17/2010

In September 2009, the FDA said that Latisse, a prescription only product, either doesn’t mention potential side effects including bacterial eye infection, allergic reactions, excess hair growth outside the intended treatment area, and permanent changes in iris and eyelid pigmentation, or presents them in small text that is much less prominent than statements about the product’s effectiveness. In some cases, pages on the Web site leaves out information that is included in Latisse packaging.

Latisse now makes clear that those side effects are possible. That's certainly a step forward. But the point is that this and other prostaglandin based products do have side effects that are not trivial and consumers should approach them with their eyes wide open.

[juliabliss]

10:37 PM on 12/16/2010

The FDA doesn't have the best track record...Vioxx, phen-fen, Avandia, etc, ...and Latisse has been shown to turn blue and green eyes brown. Yes, you read that correctly. Not just skin hyperpigmentation, but iris as well. Didn't read that here, HuffPo!

For pure cosmetic reasons? Not worth the risk, and probably too pricey as well.

[Susan Shaffer]

07:32 PM on 12/16/2010

the drug in latisse is actually a glaucoma medication and with use the patients found that their eyelashes got longer and thicker

so as for fear about putting anything near your eyes, don't worry

[bluehand]

10:21 AM on 12/17/2010

A glaucoma medication should only be used if prescribed by your doctory for glaucoma. Why use a drug for eyelashes, just use mascara, or false lashes if you don't have any.

[epiphany24]

03:36 PM on 12/17/2010

I know a good glaucoma medication;-D

[mutthaus]

06:12 PM on 12/16/2010

I'm amused by the hue and cry over this product from women who've been using all kinds of chemicals around their eyes for years.

Mascara, eyeliner and eyeshadow all contain lots of chemicals and ingredients one wouldn't normally think would be safe for use in and around the eyes. Cosmetics are only loosely regulated by the FDA, so one would think Latisse was probably more rigorously tested than many eye make-ups. And we all know drug side effects must be reported, even if they happen to a very small number of users. It seems the risks are out-weighed by the benefits.

I would love it if my lashes were naturally long enough so that I didn't have to wear mascara. I wear contact lenses and have to wear waterproof mascara because otherwise I get raccoon eyes very easily, but waterproof mascara is difficult to remove (I use baby oil). And false eyelashes are really difficult to apply correctly (at least for me) and no fun to remove, not to mention the glue that must be used to put them on. Wonder what's in that stuff!?

I'm pretty sure the small risk of side effects is worth saying goodbye to the inconvenience of the alternatives, so I'm planning on trying Latisse. Wish me luck!

[oregon bird]

12:20 AM on 12/17/2010

I totally think you're a real person, and not a drone hired to offset a negative story. Totally.

[mutthaus]

03:36 AM on 02/05/2011

Another weird response. I was not aware there was a job such as "drone hired to offset a negative story" and I didn't think the story was all that negative once I actually read it. (HuffPost is, and I say this with love, somewhat notorious for using sensational headlines to get our attention). But you do sound really cool with the whole smart alec sarcasm thing you have going on. Totally.

[oregon bird]

12:22 AM on 12/17/2010

Because who wouldn't believe a brand new commentor would naturally rush over to comment on this particular story?

[mutthaus]

03:33 AM on 02/05/2011

I'm not sure I understand how the number of comments I've made correlates with my sharing my opinion on this product. I really plan to try it in a month or so, once my job slows down a little bit and I can get in to see my doctor. I didn't "rush over." I read HuffPost every day but rarely comment. This was a story that interested me, so I chose to comment on it.

[mehitable]

05:29 PM on 12/16/2010

I was really surprised that a pretty actress like Danes would use this junk. All she ever needed was another coat of mascara, which is all most of us really need. Who wants to risk any of these side effects for a cosmetic drug that is totally unnecessary.

If it does that to your skin, I wonder what it does to one's insides?

[stellaone23]

12:36 PM on 12/17/2010

i wonder which came first; the endorsement deal or the desire to have longer lashes. big pharma has a answer for everything these days, as long as you are willing to risk you health or your life. more often than not the list of "possible" side effects is worst than what they are treating. when will we ever learn to be happy with factory pre-sets. every add-on has a price!!