There are very few ways to drastically enhance one's appearance without going under the knife, committing to six months of rigorous athletic training, or spending a hefty wad of your hard-earned green stuff. Until now…

Currently, a slew of medical advancements are lessening the necessity of invasive procedures. And that includes augmenting everything from your head to your toes – eyelashes included. While it may be hard to believe, there’s a new way to take your peepers to a new level of pretty. And, it doesn’t invovlve needles, glues, serious drugs or stimulants. Essentially, you can now purchase astonishingly long eyelashes over the counter, for the relatively reasonable price of $160.

Sound like a scam? We thought so too until we sat down with Dr. Alesia Saboeiro, a leading female plastic surgeon and resident physician at the Tribeca Plastic Surgery in NYC. Despite having access to the leading body enhancement surgeries in the world, and being one of the premier fat grafting (a procedure that uses patient’s own fat to augment their breasts, rear-end, or elsewhere) specialists in the US, Dr. Saboeiro swears by the recently-released eyelash conditioner from beauty maven Jan Marini (whose nickname is in fact "the derma diva"). In her own words:

How exactly does the eyelash conditioner work? And, why call it a conditioner if it actually causes eyelash growth?
It goes on clear like eyeliner at the base of the upper lashes. It has a compound that enables eyelashes to reach their full growth potential. It makes lashes more resilient so they don’t break off as easily, allowing them to grow much longer. Technically they can’t say that it grows lashes because then it would be a drug, regulated by the FDA. So, it’s just called an eyelash conditioner.

Has the cream been around a long time?
I’ve been using it for around 4-6 weeks; it’s probably been out for about a year but people are just starting to talk about it.

How was it discovered?
The formulation was derived from medication for glaucoma patients. This medication was causing patients to have unbelievably long eyelashes. So, they unformulated the medication as an oil-based compound and reformulated it as a water-based compound.

What was your first experience with Jan Marini’s product?
I actually discovered it at a seminar that was completely unrelated to the product. The woman teaching the seminar had these unbelievably long, lush lashes. I asked her if they were real, and she said they were. She said that she’d been using this product and that she couldn’t keep it on the shelves.

You also mentioned a hair conditioner that works with the same properties…
Yes, there’s also shampoo - it’s the same idea as when they saw the glaucoma patients – they were pouring bottles of the medicine into their shampoo bottles and it would have the same effect. It’s a lesser concentration, so you just use it as a conditioner. It’s the same principle. You’re not going to take someone who is bald and give them a full head of hair, but you are going to improve someone whose hair is beginning to thin and fall out.

Are the effects actually that dramatic?
It’s pretty dramatic. We’ve noticed the changes here at the office. We’ve carried it for the last six weeks. The change is pretty significant. Everyone who has used it has said good things.

What is the application process like?
They recommend using it once a day, but I’ve been using it twice a day. They also recommend that you only put it on your upper lashes. I’ve been putting it on both my upper and lower lashes and eyebrows, and in areas where they were sparse it’s improving. I don’t have to pencil in as much.

Is there a point at which the product’s effects begin to wear off? Or does the increased growth continue indefinitely?
That’s a good question. Some people say they’ve grown so much, they had to stop using it or cut their lashes. If anything people have had to stop use for a little while.

Do you see the product gaining in popularity?
The formulation was proprietary for a while, now it’s becoming more known.

Are people actually coming in often with specific eyelash complaints?
People don’t come in and specifically ask for it, but they may as it gains more attention. People pay a lot of concern to their eyelashes and with all the mascara commercials - we now have a way to make that happen. Who doesn’t want long, lush lashes? There are some doctors who do eyelash transplants and that’s much more invasive and costly. This just takes a little more time. You have to wait, but if you can be patient the results speak for themselves.

Any quick fixes you can recommend?
I think in general Glycolic Acid and Salicylic Acid treatments are really good, especially for skin that’s not really aged. They can help in the 20s, 30s, and 40s, helping give more radiant skin. Topical retinoids are always good – like a Retin-A derivative; those are good products to use for everybody. I think in general the trend is getting away from really invasive procedures and going more towards less invasive quick fixes. Things like fillers [such as Radiesse, which is used to smooth bumpy noses, lift cheek bones and fill in eye bags, was just approved by the FDA this year and effects last a full 12 months, as opposed to Botox or Restylin]. Things that don’t require a lot of down time… the shift is definitely going more towards that and less in the direction of big, more traditional cosmetic plastic surgery procedures.

Get Yours:
Jan Marini Eyelash Conditioner, $160, and Hair Conditioner, $150, is available at Tribeca Plastic Surgery, (212) 571-5200, or, for a list of retailers nationwide, check out janmarini.com.
Looking for a more immediate eyelash augmentation? Try Eyelash Extensions from Tribeca’s Euphoria Spa ($300) or Koreatown’s Ebenezer Beauty, ($90), 10 W. 32nd Street, (212) 947-5503.
Want your locks to be as long and strong as your lashes? Check out Biotin , an over-the-counter beauty secret.