What is Ozempic’s ‘face’? Weight loss with this medication can change the face

Drugs to lose weight such as Ozempic continue to increase in popularity, and those who sometimes take a variety of side effects, from nausea and constipation to diarrhea and abdominal pain, according to Ozempic manufacturer, Novo Nordisk.

Another effect of taking weight loss medications is known as Ozempic face and can be especially surprising for users. It refers to sagging in the face that some people see after losing a lot of weight with the medication.

A dermatologist from New York City, Dr. Paul Jarrod Frank, coined the term after observing that several of his patients who took medications to lose weight complained about the phenomenon as they began to become more popular. At the beginning of January 2023, he told the Today program that he saw him “every day.”

Ozempic is approved by the United States Food and Medicines Administration to treat type 2 diabetes, although it can induce weight loss. His brother Brother, Wegovy, who has the same active ingredient, is approved to treat obesity. Novo Nordisk previously told Today.com in a statement: “We do not promote, we suggest or encourage the use not indicated on the label of our medications,” which includes the use of Ozempic to lose weight.

The sagging skin due to rapid or substantial weight loss can actually occur anywhere in the body, not only in the face. That is why there have also been reports of rear and arms of Ozempic.

What is Ozempic’s face? What other changes can cause medications such as Ozempic? Is there any way to prevent or reverse Ozempic’s face? This is what you should know.

How does Ozempic lead to weight loss?

Both Ozempic and Wegovy have the same main ingredient, known as Semaglutida. The way they work is imitating a hormone that the body produces when it consumes food, known as LPG-1. This makes you eat less and have less cravings. These medications can also slow the emptying of the stomach so that your body absorbs calories for a longer period of time.

What is Ozempic’s face?

Ozempic’s face is a term coined by Frank to describe how the faces of patients who lose a lot of weight with weight loss medications can become flaccid and even look older. This is because medications can make people lose facial fat.

Frank said it is especially common in middle -aged and older patients.

“One of the most common things that I notice with any form of weight loss in middle -aged and older patients is that not all of us lose it in the areas we want,” Frank said. “When we age, the facial volume changes and moves. But when you lose weight so acute and fast … we are seeing these types of changes in their faces that really make them seem greater. ”

Natasa Valocchi told Today that he noticed Ozempic’s face. At that time, he had lost 68 points in just over a year. “As the weight goes, your face also does, and you become demacrate,” he said in today.

“As we get older, we become emaciated anyway, so I think it was a bit more excessive,” he continued. “People have definitely noticed on my face, ‘Oh, go, you look very thin these days.’ So maybe it’s too much for me, and I think it would hurt me a bit of extra volume. ”

For Valocchi, Ozempic’s face appeared mainly in the lower jaw area. “Your panels begin to fall because there really is no more (filling) to hold them,” he said.

What does Ozempic do to your face?

If you experience rapid weight loss while you take Ozempic, especially a lot, you can see facial changes, to which Frank refers as “global facial loss.” This can mean “wrinkles” and “heaviness” around and under the eyes, temples, the line of the jaw and mouth, he said.

“There are certain diseases that cause (global facial loss), but this is happening in a much milder sense with the use of these medications,” Frank explained.

That said, these facial changes are probably not a direct result of Ozempic itself, Jastrebroff said and Dr. Rocio Salas-Whalen, Valocchi endocrinologist. It is likely to be a side effect of losing a lot of weight in a shorter period than usual, says Salas-Whalen. (Salas-Whalen worked for Novo Nordisk in the past, but in projects not related to Ozempic).

The recommended weight loss rate with Ozempic, says Salas-Whalen, is 1 to 2 pounds per week. Valocchi lost weight at this rate, but other factors can contribute to the appearance of Ozempic, according to Salas-Whalen. These include the natural process of aging, genetics and menopause, since the lack of estrogen can contribute to the appearance of wrinkles and sagging skin.

It is also more likely that you see facial features of Ozempic the more weight you lose, says Salas-Whalen. Patients who take Ozempic to lose between 15 and 20 pounds (and there are legitimate medical reasons to do so, emphasizes) will not see as many facial changes as those who lose 100 pounds, says Salas-Whalen.

Jastreboff agrees that the phenomenon “is related to weight reduction, more than specifically with the way weight reduction is achieved.”

He adds that one of the reasons why Ozempic FACE can be caught the off guard is that the semaglutida is “very effective” in the treatment of obesity.

“Patients are losing weight at a faster rate than we have seen with other types of treatments for obesity,” explains Jastreboff. “With bariatric surgery, patients also suffer potential changes in their facial appearance, and I think that possibly the reason why it is emerging is because we are not accustomed to seeing that degree of change in the amount of fat that accumulates in the face of a person with a medicine. ”

How does Ozempic affect the skin?

The rapid weight loss, which people who take Ozempic can experience, can cause changes in the skin of the face, such as sagging or a more emaciated appearance, Frank told Today. But the medicine itself does not seem to affect the skin beyond these changes due to weight loss, says Jastreboff.

Salas-Whalen adds that losing weight quickly “will definitely affect the way the skin adapts to the new weight. And that is why we always recommend a slow weight loss, especially at the beginning. ”

There may also be mild side effects on the skin by the injection of Ozempic, since this and its brother Wegovy are administered in injections. “When a small injection is administered, sometimes a small hematoma or something may appear, but that does not happen,” he says.

How to avoid the appearance of Ozempic on the face

Frank said that fillings can be used to treat the appearance of Ozempic on the face, but it is expensive.

“When you have a loss of global facial volume, a significant amount of filling may be necessary. While a middle -aged person can normally spend $ 1,000 or $ 2,000, could spend $ 5,000 or more to replace the volume of the face, ”he added. “(For) patients between 50 and 60 years, often volume replacement is not sufficient, and will require facial plastic surgery.”

For those concerned with developing an Ozempic face, Frank stressed the importance of keeping in touch with his endocrinologist, dermatologist and other relevant specialists “to help them along the way (of weight loss) slowly.”

How do you see the Ozempic butt?

Another concern that some people who take GLP-1 agonists such as Ozempic can have that weight loss will alter the appearance of their buttocks, a phenomenon that has been called Ozempic rear.

Although it is not an official medical diagnosis, the Ozempic rear refers to loose and even flaccid skin in the rear due to rapid or substantial weight loss. This can happen with any medication to lose weight, not only with Ozempic and Wegovy, Dr. F. Clarissa Yang, a dermatologist in chief of the Tufts Medical Center and professor at the University of Tufts Faculty of Medicine, told today. com

Flaccid skin occurs because weight gain makes it difficult for the skin to remain firm, since it damages the elastin and skin collagen. Therefore, once weight is lost, the skin can retract to some extent, but not at all.

The Ozempic butt may also be due in part to another side effect of the medication, the loss of muscle mass, since the buttocks also have a lot of muscle mass. Research has shown that up to 40% of the weight losing people with Wegovy is a lean mass, including muscle (although medications still tend to improve heart and physical function in general).

When asked about the reports about Ozempic’s butt, a spokesman for Novo Nordisk told today.com: “We work in close collaboration with the (FDA) to continuously monitor the security profile of our medications. We do not have clinical data that evaluate the effect of Wegovy or Ozempic on the sagging of the buttocks. We recommend that any patient who experiences side effects while taking Wegovy or Ozempic will contact your doctor. ”

If you want to read the note in its original English version VE .