{"entity":{"id":"bimatoprost-eyelash-regrowth","kind":"technology","name":"Bimatoprost for eyelash and eyebrow regrowth","aka":[],"tldr":"Eyelashes and eyebrows often fall out with chemotherapy and can be slow to return. Bimatoprost, a glaucoma eye drop approved for thin lashes, applied along the lash line each night increased lash length and thickness in a randomised trial that included people after chemotherapy.","summary":"Bimatoprost 0.03 percent, a prostaglandin analogue, was approved by the FDA in 2008 for eyelash hypotrichosis after it was noticed that glaucoma patients grew longer lashes. A randomised, double-masked, vehicle-controlled trial (Glaser et al., British Journal of Dermatology 2015) enrolled adults with idiopathic hypotrichosis and a cohort who had completed chemotherapy at least four weeks earlier; nightly application to the upper lash margin significantly improved lash prominence, length, thickness and darkness by month 4 in both groups, with continued benefit to 12 months and mainly local side effects (conjunctival redness, eyelid skin darkening). Off-label use on eyebrows is common with less evidence. Iris darkening, a known effect of glaucoma drops instilled into the eye, is rare with lash-margin application. Lashes usually regrow unaided within a few months after chemotherapy, so bimatoprost is for those who want faster or fuller return, and is not used during active chemotherapy.","status":"approved","asOf":"2026-09-10","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bimatoprost","links":[{"label":"Bimatoprost 0.03% for idiopathic and chemotherapy-induced eyelash hypotrichosis, randomised controlled trial (Br J Dermatol 2015)","url":"https://doi.org/10.1111/bjd.13443"}],"tags":["complementary","supportive-care","evidence:moderate"],"related":[],"cancers":[],"sections":["rejuvenation","supportive-care","chemotherapy"],"technologies":["scalp-cooling","minoxidil-chemotherapy-alopecia","wigs-cranial-prosthesis"],"targets":[],"drugs":["docetaxel","paclitaxel","doxorubicin"],"companies":[],"institutions":[],"pathways":[],"terms":[],"trials":[],"people":[],"bottlenecks":["b-toxicity-qol"],"keyPapers":["paper-glaser-br-j-dermatol"],"journals":[],"dependsOn":[],"notes":[],"principle":"Prostaglandin F2-alpha analogue signalling prolongs the anagen phase and increases the proportion of follicles in growth, lengthening and thickening lashes.","strengths":["Approved drug with a randomised trial including post-chemotherapy patients","Once-nightly topical use","Reversible on stopping"],"limitations":["Cosmetic prescription, rarely reimbursed","Local irritation and skin darkening","Not for use during active chemotherapy"],"since":2008},"route":"/technologies/bimatoprost-eyelash-regrowth/","neighbours":{"section":[{"id":"chemotherapy","kind":"section","name":"Chemotherapy","route":"/fronts/chemotherapy/"},{"id":"rejuvenation","kind":"section","name":"Recovery & Rejuvenation","route":"/fronts/rejuvenation/"},{"id":"supportive-care","kind":"section","name":"Supportive Care & Survivorship","route":"/fronts/supportive-care/"}],"technology":[{"id":"minoxidil-chemotherapy-alopecia","kind":"technology","name":"Minoxidil for persistent chemotherapy- and endocrine-therapy hair loss","route":"/technologies/minoxidil-chemotherapy-alopecia/"},{"id":"scalp-cooling","kind":"technology","name":"Scalp cooling (cold caps: DigniCap, Paxman)","route":"/technologies/scalp-cooling/"},{"id":"wigs-cranial-prosthesis","kind":"technology","name":"Wigs, cranial prostheses and head coverings","route":"/technologies/wigs-cranial-prosthesis/"}],"drug":[{"id":"docetaxel","kind":"drug","name":"Docetaxel","route":"/drugs/docetaxel/"},{"id":"doxorubicin","kind":"drug","name":"Doxorubicin","route":"/drugs/doxorubicin/"},{"id":"paclitaxel","kind":"drug","name":"Paclitaxel / nab-paclitaxel","route":"/drugs/paclitaxel/"}],"bottleneck":[{"id":"b-toxicity-qol","kind":"bottleneck","name":"Toxicity and quality of life are undervalued","route":"/bottlenecks/b-toxicity-qol/"}],"paper":[{"id":"paper-glaser-br-j-dermatol","kind":"paper","name":"Long-term safety and efficacy of bimatoprost solution 0·03% application to the eyelid margin for the treatment of idiopathic and chemotherapy-induced eyelash hypotrichosis: a randomized controlled trial","route":"/key-papers/paper-glaser-br-j-dermatol/"}],"term":[{"id":"hair-brows-and-lashes","kind":"term","name":"Eyebrow and eyelash loss (madarosis)","route":"/terms/hair-brows-and-lashes/"}]}}