Women Flock to New Surgery for Annoying Ozempic Side Effect
A subtle side effect is leading GLP-1 patients to undergo the cosmetic procedure.
Prostock-Studio/Getty Images
From Ozempic face to Ozempic ears, people losing significant weight with popular weight-loss drugs are noticing undesirable changes in their faces. Now, a subtle new side effect has left many patients worried they look older, leading them to undergo surgery to address it.
Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1s), sold under names like Ozempic and Wegovy, can assist with rapid weight loss. But many users notice volume loss and hollowing, which, especially in the temples, can lead to a more aged appearance.
Hollow temples can make a person’s appearance look older.
Henadzi Pechan/Getty Images
In July, plastic surgeon and Botched star Dr. Terry Dubrow called temporal hollowing a “hallmark of aging, hallmark of illness, hallmark of dehydration and the absolute hallmark of the Ozempic face.”
“It takes your face out of its youthful balance,” he told USA Today. “When you look at a youthful face—when you look at kids, babies—the temple area is very full.”
One person who suffered from the so-called “Ozempic temples” was New Jersey-based Diane, 63.
She lost 129 pounds by first taking Wegovy and later Mounjaro. But she noticed that while her body was shrinking, her appearance was also aging.
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“I had this hang-up, like, ‘OK, I’m getting healthier, but I’m looking older,’” she told The Looker.
Diane lost over 100 pounds with the help of GLP-1s, underwent multiple plastic surgeries, and then added volume with fat grafting.
Dr. Anthony Berlet;The Daily Beast
To reverse the clock, Diane addressed her “sagging skin” with a facelift, but still felt that her face could look more youthful.
To achieve her desired results, Dr. Anthony Berlet performed fat grafting to bring fullness to her face. During the procedure, he suctioned fat out of Diane’s inner thighs and injected it into her entire face after purifying it.
The board-certified plastic surgeon explained to The Looker that facial hollowness can create a sunken look that is often associated with aging, while fullness is associated with youth.
That is why he always recommends fat grafting to his clients who have undergone significant weight loss.
“Nothing like adding volume after any kind of weight loss,” he said, explaining that injecting Diane’s face took under 45 minutes and made all the difference.
Full temples can help make a person’s appearance more youthful. That’s why Diane underwent fat grafting following her facelift.
Dr. Anthony Berlet;The Daily Beast
As more Americans continue to lose weight with the help of GLP-1s, more treatments for temporal hollowing are becoming available.
Dermatologists offer dermal filler injections to add fullness to the temples, as well as NuvaSculpt, which increases fat cell growth and restores volume.
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