When talking beauty, the most stunning, attractive, and jaw-dropping feature one can have is breathtaking eyes. Usually, this is defined by the color of one’s eyes, but the whole eye includes our eyeballs, eyelashes, eyebrows, eyelids and in particular the area under the eyes. As a surgeon, I look at all of these, but find that most doctors overlook things they can’t fix.
The most often forgotten about and easy to improve area: the sclera. What is this you ask? Well it’s the white part of your eyes. If they are red then you can look tired. If they are slightly yellow then they can make the eyes not look as bright.
What is Lumify?TM
Lumify (brimonidine 0.025%) is an over a counter formulation of an old glaucoma medication that shrinks blood vessels. While medications like Visine have been around for years, Lumify was FDA approved only a few months ago. One single drop works in seconds and lasts hours. The main benefit is that Lumify does not cause rebound tachyphylaxsis like other anti-redness drops which can cause your eyes to get even redder than they were before hours later and tolerance to the drops over time. The difference between this medication and the old glaucoma medication is that the concentration of the drug is almost 10 times as dilute for Lumify.
Why use Lumify?
When you use a social media filter or have a professional photographer touch up your photos, one of the most common changes you will see is the whitening of the eyes. While those are great tricks, in real life and even in the video this can’t be replicated. Lumify can make you look more awake and vivacious.
Are there Side Effects?
I read through the paper used to get FDA approval and there were minimal side effects seen in the small study, but they did include irritation of your eyes or pain most commonly. I’m not a contact wearer (I had Lasik which gave me 20/15 vision) and the medication did bother me slightly, but it was tolerable. Of note, there are conditions where your eyes can be red that this will not fix: allergies, bacterial and viral infections: therefore you should always seek medical evaluation if it doesn’t make them better.
Where do I Buy Lumify?
This new medication is available at any drug store in two sizes. While I am a cosmetic surgeon and not a beauty expert, it is important for us to understand all beauty products trends and be aware of the products our patients are using. It is also important for your surgeon to be knowledgeable about all things beauty, not just those that they can work on. Of course, some people are more interested or better candidates for fillers or eyelid surgery and you can read more about there here.
How much does Lumify Cost?
You can buy Lumify from online retailers like Target for $11.99
It is also available in-store at most pharmacies and while I have coupons I give to my patients for $5 off per bottle you can find coupons on Lumify.com for $2 off your purchase.
Dr. Patel has no financial conflicts of interest and is not paid by Bausch and Laumb
