Eye lines

BEFORE she departed sunny Stockton for the somewhat brighter lights of New York, my older sister once told me I was the vainest person she knew.

I didn’t disagree with her – there’s very little point when she’s in that sort of mood, and besides, it’s probably not entirely inaccurate.

But I was slightly curious about how she had come to this rather damning conclusion. “You curl your eyeslashes,” she retorted with a sneer. “That’s the vainest thing I’ve ever seen anyone do.”

I might have to concede that one, but I think it’s fair to say I’m not alone in my obsessive quest to acquire the perfect lashes.

The most incredible fact that I found out this week was that the fake eyelash industry in this country alone is worth a whopping £110m a year on false lashes and extensions alone.

J-Lo’s comeback seems to have gained her more than a few commercial beauty modelling jobs, including L’Oreal mascara, and I’ve lost count of the number of celebrities batting their own brand of false eyelashes. But there are signs of a backlash, no pun intended, to this flirty falsies revolution.

Strip lashes – the ones you apply yourself, with latex glue, then remove at before you go to sleep – are wonderful for a night out on the town or special occasion. But they are also difficult to put on, even harder to keep on, and can look very fake (Katie Price; need I say more?). They are also silly and useless on the beach or in the pool.

Semi-permanents are great as, if you get a decent set, they look dark, full and thick. The downside is when you naturally shed your real lashes or get the extensions removed, you can be left with short, stumpy lashes or even worse, bald patches.

But a new breakthrough treatment, which advocates say makes lashes grow naturally long, thick and dark, could change all of this.

In what could be one of the most significant beauty developments since Botox, Lumigan has arrived in the UK for cosmetic use. The treatment, which is applied every night to the base of the upper lashes – like liquid eyeliner – works by stimulating the eyelash hair follicles to grow longer, thicker and darker hair.

Invented about a decade ago as a treatment for glaucoma, patients often reported a side effect was longer lashes. Three years ago, studies showed that it was safe to use for to treat hypotrichosis – inadequate or sparse lashes.

Celebrity devotees include actresses Christina Hendricks and Claire Danes, singer Mandy Moore and models Jenny Macarthy and Brooke Shields.

Urban Retreat, the spa at Harrods, has also joined forces with LashesClinic to offer the treatment, along with a Harley Street surgery and Knightsbridge salon. Closer to home, it is available at Jesmond Beauty Clinic, in Newcastle.

Dr Mark Fuller, who is working with Lumigan in the UK, says: “This treatment is very exciting.

It could potentially be used to treat cancer patients who have undergone chemotherapy to help with eyelash regrowth, and may even form the basis for research into treatment for hair loss.

“As a short-term solution, eyelash extensions are great,” he adds. “But they are not so good longterm.

This is a much better long term solution, as you’re actually growing your own eyelashes, but longer and thicker.”

So is this the treatment we’ve all been waiting for? I’m trying at the moment. I’ve yet to finish my treatment, but so far the results are pretty decent.

I had extensions removed the week before I started, which left my lashes looking and short, stumpy and sparse, even with the help of my favourite mascara.

I definitely noticed faster regrowth, and my lashes are now longer than ever before, and looking good, even if I do say so myself, although I’m not sure they’ve got much extra girth. This, however, could be down to the amount of mascara I wear, so I’ve resolved to start using clear during the day.

I’ve had a few side-effects – a bit of redness on the skin around the eyes and a slight itching – but this subsided fairly quickly and is, I am assured, totally normal. I’ve had no other problems with the treatment.

I’ve never come across anything like this before – a lash growth enhancer which actually works. I just have to break it to my sister that I’ve found an activity which demonstrates even more vanity than curling my eyelashes...

• For details of the treatment, visit lashesclinic.co.uk or call 0207-873-2193