Americans on blockbuster GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy are slimming down fast — but for some, the price of that rapid weight loss is starting to show up in the mirror.
“It makes the face look much older,” Dr. Patrick Byrne, president of the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons (AAFPRS), told The Post.
Now, alarmed by sunken features and sagging skin, newly svelte patients are flooding med spas and plastic surgery clinics, desperate to plump, lift and smooth their way back to a youthful glow. These are some of the top treatments they’re chasing in the war against the dreaded “Ozempic face.”
Beating the bulge — but surrendering to sag
Drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy work by mimicking a naturally occurring hormone in the body that tells your brain you’re full — crushing cravings and helping many users drop pounds in record time.
“It’s far more dramatic and rapid weight loss than one typically sees,” Byrne said. “Changes in the face seem to be more enhanced because of it.”
The effects can be jarring. Byrne said GLP-1 patients often walk into his office claiming they look “hollowed out.” Think sunken cheeks, gaunt eyes, sagging neck skin, surprise jowls and temples that seem to have caved in overnight.
And it’s not just everyday people feeling the effects. GLP-1s are the hottest drugs in Hollywood, with multiple doctors telling the Daily Mail that they think A-listers like Katy Perry, Sharon Osbourne, Scott Disick and Robbie Williams have all been hit hard by the alleged “Ozempic face” fallout.
While the science is still catching up, Byrne suspects that middle-aged women may be particularly vulnerable to “Ozempic face” because of hormonal shifts and a natural decline in collagen production during the menopause transition.
“Once our collagen starts to decline, the skin becomes less elastic and the volumetric changes underneath it become more apparent,” Bryne said. “It looks worse.”
Filler fixes
For those not keen on going under the knife, facial fillers are a popular go-to.
“In younger patients and more mild cases where the skin elasticity remains reasonably strong, fillers tend to work better,” Byrne explained.
When it comes to fillers, Byrne said hyaluronic acid is often the top choice for two key reasons.
“Looking in the mirror, I suddenly had all of these wrinkles and fine lines that I never had before.”
Mary-Beth Renfrow
“One, it’s a naturally occurring substance within the skin and soft tissues, so there’s really no meaningful risk of rejection or reaction,” Bryne said. “Two, it’s reversible.”
That means if you’re not thrilled with the results, it can be safely and easily dissolved with an enzyme injection.
After shedding a staggering 130 pounds on GLP-1s, Mary-Beth Renfrow was thinner — but not thrilled.
“Looking in the mirror, I suddenly had all of these wrinkles and fine lines that I never had before,” she said.
At first, Renfrow, 57, wasn’t sold on the idea of fillers, afraid she’d wind up with that frozen, overdone look. But after a nudge from her doctor, she decided to take the plunge.
“I thought to myself, you can either have that, or it can be filled with fat,” she quipped.
A few quick shots of Juvederm — the popular hyaluronic acid filler — around her cheeks, lips and eyes were all it took to bring her face, and her self-esteem, back to life.
“I got this confidence I’d never had before,” she said. “I felt legitimately beautiful, like I was in my early 40s again.”
Other than a small bruise at the injection site, Renfrow had no side effects from the treatment.
However, there’s a catch: fillers don’t last forever. The gel-like material stays plump for a few months — maybe up to a couple of years — before your body absorbs it.
“It started to tuck everything back into place and lift it where it was supposed to be.”
Lindsey Sikora
Byrne said other injectable fillers, like Sculptra (a collagen booster made with poly-L-lactic acid) and Radiesse (crafted from calcium hydroxyapatite), tend to last longer. But these options aren’t as easily removed — if at all.
“They carry a greater risk, so greater judgment needs to be used in the patients that utilize them,” he said.
Laser power and ultrasound devices
Lasers are another top choice for fighting Ozempic face.
While there are many kinds, Byrne favors radiofrequency devices that use controlled heat generated by electromagnetic waves to penetrate beneath the skin’s surface.
“We can stimulate collagen production, tighten the skin and address concerns like wrinkles,” he said.
Another option: fractional CO2 laser resurfacing, which creates controlled micro-injuries to spark the body’s healing process, boosting collagen and improving skin texture.
There are also microfocused ultrasound devices like Sofwave that zap targeted ultrasound energy deep into the skin, boosting collagen and delivering a tighter, lifted look.
Lindsey Sikora, who dropped 150 pounds through diet, exercise and GLP-1s, decided to give it a shot after spotting fine lines, sagging jowls, wrinkles and a “turkey neck” that appeared after her dramatic weight loss and the start of perimenopause.
“It started to tuck everything back into place and lift it where it was supposed to be,” said Sikora, 41, who has also used Sofwave on her arms, stomach and glutes. “The results are dramatic.”
So impressed with her results, the board-certified nurse practitioner now offers the technology at her own practice, Shot Bar MedSpa in Chicago.
“I’ve treated hundreds of patients myself, with or without Ozempic face, and I’ve watched the anti-aging component of what that device can do,” Sikora said.
One downside of Sofwave? It can take up to three months for results to show. But Sikora says it’s worth the wait for a treatment that requires no recovery time — unlike surgery.
“I like to use the analogy that in order to plant your garden, we’re going to fertilize the soil, and then in 90 days, your plants and flowers will grow,” she said
The knife fights back
Even with fillers and laser options on the market, cosmetic surgery is booming as Americans scramble to fix their post-weight-loss faces.
“With a lot of volume loss, especially when the skin elasticity has declined, surgical options tend to be most effective,” Bryne said.
Byrne said the most popular procedures GLP-1 users are turning to for their “Ozempic face” include full face and neck lifts — plus lower eyelid surgery to tackle the toll of rapid weight loss.
He noted that some also opt for brow and upper eye lifts, though less often, as those areas are less prone to the negative effects of rapid fat loss.
Also trending: fat grafting.
In fact, facial surgeons reported a 50% spike in fat-grafting procedures in 2024, according to a survey by AAFPRS.
Here’s how it works: Liposuction pulls fat from areas like the abdomen, hips or thighs. After processing, the fat is injected into the face to restore volume or smooth wrinkles.
“It’s a good option,” Byrne said, but he warned it’s still an “unpredictable” procedure, even for the general population.
“In the best of circumstances, we can’t know precisely how much of the fat that’s harvested from the belly or the thigh and injected into the face will actually survive long term,” Byrne said.
Studies show that typically about 50% to 70% of the fat survives and integrates into the new tissue. But those numbers don’t apply to patients using weight loss drugs.
“It’s fair to assume that in GLP-1 patients undergoing significant weight loss it will be even less predictable,” Byrne said.
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