August 2023

Treating Ozempic Face

We all know someone who has reaped from the amazing benefits of prescription weight loss drug semiglutide, also known as Ozempic. What we're all hearing more of now is a phenomenon called "Ozempic Face." But what exactly is Ozempic Face, and more importantly, what can be done to treat it so patients can look as good as they feel.

What is Ozempic?

Ozempic is the brand name for semaglutide, a type of medicine used to treat type 2 diabetes. It works by helping the body release insulin when blood sugar levels are too high, which helps lower these levels in the long term. Semaglutide also helps with weight loss because it slows the emptying of the stomach, causing a feeling of fullness and reducing appetite.

In 2021, Ozempic was approved by the FDA for use as a weight loss medication under the new brand name Wegovy. Wegovy is administered as an injection once per week in the home setting by women and men who desire assistance with weight loss.

The weight loss effect of Ozempic can be dramatic with most patients experiencing rapid weight loss. With that, comes significant facial changes due to the drug's effect on fat and muscle.

Facial Side Effects of Ozempic

Weight loss can have a noticeable impact on the appearance of the skin. Significant weight loss, meaning 35 or more pounds in a short amount of time (six months or less) can greatly deplete the skin and body of essential nutrients.

While Ozempic and Wegovy have no direct effect on facial fat loss, when there is a significant decrease in the subcutaneous fat layer beneath the skin, this can result in sagging skin that is particularly noticeable in areas like the face, abdomen, or arms.

Facial fat serves an important protective function but it also affects facial aesthetics and elasticity. Sudden decreases in body weight may result in unexpected results such as loose skin or sagging especially around the face.

What is Ozempic Face?

The loss of fat can make a person look significantly older by causing sagging skin and deep folds at the mouth and jowls. Rather than a supple pinch of skin that is collagen-rich, Ozempic patients are experiencing a decrease in elasticity, diminished luster, and thinning of the skin barrier. The fat is reabsorbed into the body and this can cause an aged appearance with sunken areas in the cheeks and around the mouth.

Men and women who are using or considering using Ozempic as a weight management tool should weigh the risk versus benefits of the long-term use of Ozempic. And as a byproduct of using the prescription weight loss medication, patients should also review the various cosmetic options for maintaining a natural and balanced facial aesthetic that is youthful and healthy-looking.

What Does Ozempic Face Look Like?

Patients who have lost weight rapidly as a result of Ozempic have faces that can be characterized as follows:

Hollow cheeks, eyes, and temples: The eyes will appear deeper set and hollow and the cheeks cave inward and lose the roundness of youth. The temples are a noticeable area where hollowness is evident.

Hanging skin: Skin that has lost its facial fat support will literally hang off the face resulting in loose and wrinkled skin.

Deep lines around the mouth: The skin folds around the mouth called the nasolabial folds and marionette lines. The lines deepen with weight loss and gravitational changes in the face.

Jowling: The lower face skin can hang over the jawline creating a “jowl.”

Wrinkes and loose skin at the neck: The neck skin will hang and become creased. The neck muscle, platysma, can form bands which result in loss of the sharp angle of the neck.

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The Lift & Fill Facelift:
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Can I Prevent Ozempic Face?

Recent concepts in facial aging point to volume as an important part of maintaining a youthful face. Loss of volume in the face results in an older appearing and hollowed face with loose skin, wrinkles, and loss of structure. With weight loss, the skin becomes less elastic due to reduced levels of elastin and collagen which are the building blocks of skin.

Stay hydrated
Drinking 1 – 2 liters of water each day will hydrate and plump the skin. Dehydrated skin will exacerbate the negative changes of weight loss

Eat more protein
Protein will improve skin and muscle quality and combat the negative effects of skin inelasticity and loss of muscle

Skincare
medical grade skin care can improve skin quality and elasticity.

Replacing volume with facial fillers
Facial fillers are injectable substances that add volume to the face. The weight loss or Ozempic face may require copious amounts of filler to achieve full correction.

Surgery
Many patients will benefit from procedures such as a facelift, brow lift, and neck lift to reposition the soft tissue on the face.

In most cases of Ozempic face, combining a facelift with a fat transfer can BOTH lift and fill the face. The Lift and Fill Facelift is the gold standard for the Ozempic face. I'll perform a lipo technique called "skimming" to harvest enough fat to reinject into the face to supplement facial volume loss.

Before and After Facelift by Dr. Burns

A facelift or rhytidectomy is a cosmetic procedure that addresses the visible signs of aging at the cheeks, neck, and jawline. Women and men alike have facelift surgery, typically when they have exhausted their efforts on nonsurgical treatments like Botox, dermal fillers, and laser treatments.

More on facelifting surgery here.

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Dr. John Burns, America's Best Plastic Surgeons 2023

Dr. John L. Burns Jr. MD is board-certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery and President of the Dallas Plastic Surgery Institute, one of the largest plastic surgery group practices in the United States. Dr. Burns is also the Medical Director for the EpiCentre Skin Care and Laser Center, a world renowned medical spa. Dr. Burns dedicates his practice to aesthetic or cosmetic plastic surgery.

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Treatments For Ozempic Face

Treating Ozempic Face