Individuals on blockbuster GLP-1 medication like Ozempic and Wegovy are slimming down quick — however for some, the worth of that speedy weight reduction is beginning to present up within the mirror.
“It makes the face look a lot older,” Dr. Patrick Byrne, president of the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons (AAFPRS), instructed The Submit.
Now, alarmed by sunken options and sagging pores and skin, newly svelte sufferers are flooding med spas and cosmetic surgery clinics, determined to plump, raise and clean their method again to a youthful glow. These are a number of the high therapies they’re chasing within the struggle towards the dreaded “Ozempic face.”
Beating the bulge — however surrendering to sag
Medication like Ozempic and Wegovy work by mimicking a naturally occurring hormone within the physique that tells your mind you’re full — crushing cravings and serving to many customers drop kilos in document time.
“It’s much more dramatic and speedy weight reduction than one usually sees,” Byrne mentioned. “Modifications within the face appear to be extra enhanced due to it.”
The consequences will be jarring. Byrne mentioned GLP-1 sufferers usually stroll into his workplace claiming they give the impression of being “hollowed out.” Assume sunken cheeks, gaunt eyes, sagging neck pores and skin, shock jowls and temples that appear to have caved in in a single day.
And it’s not simply on a regular basis folks feeling the results. GLP-1s are the most popular medication in Hollywood, with a number of docs telling the Day by day Mail that they suppose A-listers like Katy Perry, Sharon Osbourne, Scott Disick and Robbie Williams have all been hit onerous by the alleged “Ozempic face” fallout.
Whereas the science remains to be catching up, Byrne suspects that middle-aged ladies could also be notably susceptible to “Ozempic face” due to hormonal shifts and a pure decline in collagen manufacturing throughout the menopause transition.
“As soon as our collagen begins to say no, the pores and skin turns into much less elastic and the volumetric modifications beneath it develop into extra obvious,” Bryne mentioned. “It seems to be worse.”
Filler fixes
For these not eager on going below the knife, facial fillers are a well-liked go-to.
“In youthful sufferers and extra gentle instances the place the pores and skin elasticity stays moderately sturdy, fillers are inclined to work higher,” Byrne defined.
With regards to fillers, Byrne mentioned hyaluronic acid is usually the best choice for 2 key causes.
“Trying within the mirror, I abruptly had all of those wrinkles and effective traces that I by no means had earlier than.”
Mary-Beth Renfrow
“One, it’s a naturally occurring substance throughout the pores and skin and delicate tissues, so there’s actually no significant danger of rejection or response,” Bryne mentioned. “Two, it’s reversible.”
Which means when you’re not thrilled with the outcomes, it may be safely and simply dissolved with an enzyme injection.
After shedding a staggering 130 kilos on GLP-1s, Mary-Beth Renfrow was thinner — however not thrilled.
“Trying within the mirror, I abruptly had all of those wrinkles and effective traces that I by no means had earlier than,” she mentioned.
At first, Renfrow, 57, wasn’t bought on the concept of fillers, afraid she’d wind up with that frozen, overdone look. However after a nudge from her physician, she determined to make the leap.
“I assumed to myself, you may both have that, or it may be crammed with fats,” she quipped.
Just a few fast pictures of Juvederm — the favored hyaluronic acid filler — round her cheeks, lips and eyes had been all it took to carry her face, and her shallowness, again to life.
“I acquired this confidence I’d by no means had earlier than,” she mentioned. “I felt legitimately stunning, like I used to be in my early 40s once more.”
Apart from a small bruise on the injection website, Renfrow had no unwanted side effects from the therapy.
Nevertheless, there’s a catch: fillers don’t final eternally. The gel-like materials stays plump for a number of months — possibly as much as a few years — earlier than your physique absorbs it.
“It began to tuck every part again into place and raise it the place it was alleged to be.”
Lindsey Sikora
Byrne mentioned different injectable fillers, like Sculptra (a collagen booster made with poly-L-lactic acid) and Radiesse (crafted from calcium hydroxyapatite), are inclined to last more. However these choices aren’t as simply eliminated — if in any respect.
“They carry a higher danger, so higher judgment must be used within the sufferers that make the most of them,” he mentioned.
Laser energy and ultrasound units
Lasers are one other best choice for combating Ozempic face.
Whereas there are lots of varieties, Byrne favors radiofrequency units that use managed warmth generated by electromagnetic waves to penetrate beneath the pores and skin’s floor.
“We are able to stimulate collagen manufacturing, tighten the pores and skin and tackle issues like wrinkles,” he mentioned.
An alternative choice: fractional CO2 laser resurfacing, which creates managed micro-injuries to spark the physique’s therapeutic course of, boosting collagen and enhancing pores and skin texture.
There are additionally microfocused ultrasound units like Sofwave that zap focused ultrasound vitality deep into the pores and skin, boosting collagen and delivering a tighter, lifted look.
Lindsey Sikora, who dropped 150 kilos via weight loss plan, train and GLP-1s, determined to offer it a shot after recognizing effective traces, sagging jowls, wrinkles and a “turkey neck” that appeared after her dramatic weight reduction and the beginning of perimenopause.
“It began to tuck every part again into place and raise it the place it was alleged to be,” mentioned Sikora, 41, who has additionally used Sofwave on her arms, abdomen and glutes. “The outcomes are dramatic.”
So impressed together with her outcomes, the board-certified nurse practitioner now presents the expertise at her personal follow, Shot Bar MedSpa in Chicago.
“I’ve handled tons of of sufferers myself, with or with out Ozempic face, and I’ve watched the anti-aging part of what that gadget can do,” Sikora mentioned.
One draw back of Sofwave? It may take as much as three months for outcomes to point out. However Sikora says it’s definitely worth the look ahead to a therapy that requires no restoration time — not like surgical procedure.
“I like to make use of the analogy that with a view to plant your backyard, we’re going to fertilize the soil, after which in 90 days, your vegetation and flowers will develop,” she mentioned
The knife fights again
Even with fillers and laser choices available on the market, beauty surgical procedure is booming as Individuals scramble to repair their post-weight-loss faces.
“With a variety of quantity loss, particularly when the pores and skin elasticity has declined, surgical choices are usually best,” Bryne mentioned.
Byrne mentioned the most well-liked procedures GLP-1 customers are turning to for his or her “Ozempic face” embody full face and neck lifts — plus decrease eyelid surgical procedure to sort out the toll of speedy weight reduction.
He famous that some additionally go for forehead and higher eye lifts, although much less usually, as these areas are much less susceptible to the adverse results of speedy fats loss.
Additionally trending: fats grafting.
In truth, facial surgeons reported a 50% spike in fat-grafting procedures in 2024, based on a survey by AAFPRS.
Right here’s the way it works: Liposuction pulls fats from areas just like the stomach, hips or thighs. After processing, the fats is injected into the face to revive quantity or clean wrinkles.
“It’s a very good choice,” Byrne mentioned, however he warned it’s nonetheless an “unpredictable” process, even for the overall inhabitants.
“In the very best of circumstances, we will’t know exactly how a lot of the fats that’s harvested from the stomach or the thigh and injected into the face will really survive long run,” Byrne mentioned.
Research present that usually about 50% to 70% of the fats survives and integrates into the brand new tissue. However these numbers don’t apply to sufferers utilizing weight reduction medication.
“It’s honest to imagine that in GLP-1 sufferers present process important weight reduction it will likely be even much less predictable,” Byrne mentioned.
