What is "Ozempic face"? The truth behind the term and what you can do about it

As new, effective medications for weight loss now help millions of people improve their health, the focus has partially shifted from medical benefits to aesthetic consequences. Images of celebrities with suddenly sharper facial features and "hollow" eyes have created concern: Is the price of a healthy body weight a face that looks older? In this article, we explain exactly what happens beneath the surface, why the skin reacts the way it does, and how you can minimize the risk of unwanted facial changes with the right strategy.

What exactly is "Ozempic face"?

The term "Ozempic face" was coined by a dermatologist in New York to describe a specific type of facial aging in patients who quickly lost a lot of weight with the help of GLP-1 medications (semaglutide).

It is important to understand that this is not a medical diagnosis. You will not find "Ozempic face" listed as a side effect in the patient information leaflet for the medication or among information from various authorities. Instead, it has become a collective name for the physical changes that occur when the volume in the face decreases faster than the skin has time to contract.

Typical characteristics of "Ozempic face" include:

• Sunken cheeks and temples.

• A sharper jawline, sometimes with elements of "sagging."

• Deeper hollows around the mouth and nose (nasolabial folds).

• Skin that may be perceived as less elastic and more wrinkled.

• Eyes that look larger or more sunken due to fat loss around the eye sockets.

Why does it happen? The science behind Ozempic face

To understand why the face changes, we must look at the anatomy. Our face gets its shape and youthful appearance from a combination of bone structure, muscles, and fat pads.

We have layers of fat deep under the skin that function as a kind of "scaffolding" or filler. This subcutaneous fat lifts the skin, smoothes out wrinkles, and gives the face its round, soft shapes.

When you lose weight, you lose fat all over the body. For many people, the face is one of the places where fat loss is visible first and most clearly.

Imagine a grape turning into a raisin, or a balloon losing air. When the fat volume that stretches the skin disappears, the skin becomes "too large" for its contents. If the skin has good elasticity, it contracts and adapts to the new shape. But if the fat loss happens very quickly, or if the skin has lost its natural resilience, it cannot keep up. The result is that the skin can look loose or saggy – what many have now begun to describe as "Ozempic face."

Is the medicine damaging the skin?

A common misconception is that semaglutide (the active substance in Ozempic and Wegovy) chemically breaks down the collagen or elastin in the skin, and that it is this process that leads to the so-called Ozempic face. However, there is no scientific evidence for this.

The medication affects your hormones, your appetite, and your blood sugar level. It does not directly affect your skin quality. The effect on the face is exclusively a consequence of the reduced calorie intake and the subsequent weight loss. The same phenomenon is seen in patients undergoing gastric bypass surgery or those who diet extremely hard on their own. The difference is that medical weight loss with GLP-1 medications has made significant weight loss accessible to a much broader group of people, which has made the phenomenon more common.

Risk factors: Who is affected by facial changes (Ozempic face)?

Everyone who loses weight will lose fat in the face, but whether it leads to the sunken appearance called "Ozempic face" depends on several factors:

1. The speed of weight loss

This is the most critical factor. Modern medications are very potent. If the dose is titrated up too quickly, the patient may lose their appetite almost entirely and plummet in weight. Rapid weight loss (more than 1–1.5 kg per week over a long period) gives the skin minimal time to adapt and contract.

2. Age

Our skin contains the proteins collagen (which provides strength) and elastin (which provides resilience). The production of these naturally decreases with age.

Young people often have a lot of elastin; the skin acts like a rubber band that quickly snaps back when fat disappears. Conversely, older people generally have less elastin. The skin is then more like a stretched fabric that does not contract as effectively, making wrinkles and sagging more prominent after the age of 40–50.

3. Starting weight and amount of weight lost

The more weight you lose, the more "excess skin" can form. A person losing 40 kg will likely see greater changes in the face than someone losing 10 kg.

4. Genetics

Some people have genetically fuller faces with more robust fat pads that resist weight loss better, while others naturally have thinner faces where even the smallest weight change is visible immediately.

How to counteract the effect

There is no reason to let the fear of wrinkles stop you from treating a serious disease like obesity. The health benefits of losing weight in a controlled way – reduced risk of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and joint pain – far outweigh cosmetic changes.

At Yazen, we understand that your well-being is also connected to how you feel when you look in the mirror. Therefore, we work with a model for sustainable, medical weight control that is gentle on both the body and appearance.

Strategy 1: "Lowest effective dose" – proceed slowly

The absolute best way to counteract "Ozempic face" is to avoid an excessively drastic rate of weight loss. Many clinics follow a standard schedule where the dose is increased every month regardless of results.

At Yazen, we do things differently. We follow the principle of the lowest effective dose.

• If you are losing weight at a steady, healthy pace on a lower dose, we do not increase it.

• This gives the body and skin time to adapt to the new shape.

Strategy 2: Nutrition and hydration from within

The skin is an organ that needs nourishment. When appetite decreases, it is easy to neglect eating, which means the skin does not get the building blocks it needs.

• Protein: Amino acids build up tissue. Ensure you eat a protein-rich diet to preserve both muscle and skin structure.

• Hydration: GLP-1 medications can reduce thirst signals in some people. Dehydrated skin immediately looks older and more wrinkled. Drinking enough water is the simplest "facelift" you can give yourself.

• Micronutrients: Vitamin C, zinc, and B vitamins are important for skin health. A varied diet with plenty of vegetables is essential.

Strategy 3: Lifestyle factors

• Smoking: If you smoke, stop. Smoking breaks down collagen in the skin faster than almost anything else and drastically impairs circulation.

• Sleep: It is during sleep that the body repairs itself. Poor sleep increases levels of the stress hormone cortisol, which can break down the skin's barrier.

• Sun protection: UV radiation is the skin's worst enemy regarding aging. Use sunscreen daily to preserve the collagen you have.

Treatment options if the change has already occurred

If you have lost weight and feel that the face has lost too much volume, it is important to know that help is available. This is not something that has to be permanent.

• Time: Give it time! Often the skin stabilizes and contracts somewhat during the 6–12 months following reaching your target weight. Skin is living tissue and adaptation takes time.

• Dermatological treatments: For those who are very bothered, there are aesthetic treatments. Fillers (hyaluronic acid) can restore lost volume in cheeks and temples. There are also treatments that stimulate the skin's own collagen production (e.g., microneedling, laser, or biostimulators).

• Surgery: In cases of very significant weight loss where there is a large amount of excess skin, plastic surgery may be an option at a later stage.

The psychological perspective: Settling into a new reflection

Sometimes the experience of "Ozempic face" is not just about wrinkles, but about not recognizing ourselves. The brain has an internal map of how we look. When the body changes rapidly, the mind does not always keep up.

It can take time to get used to a thinner face. What is first perceived as "haggard" or "tired" can after some time, once you have adapted and perhaps changed your hairstyle or style, be perceived as "vibrant" and "defined."

A sign that the treatment is working

It is important to remember that the change in the face is actually proof that the treatment is working. The "dangerous" fat that was around your internal organs and increased the risk of diseases has decreased – and the fat in the face went along with it.

Summary

"Ozempic face" is a media term for fat loss in the face during weight loss. It is not caused by the medication itself, but by the reduced fat volume. The best way to avoid it is to lose weight at a controlled pace, eat nutritiously, drink water, and not smoke.

At Yazen, you receive personalized weight loss help where doctors, dietitians, and personal trainers help you find the balance. We do not strive for the fastest weight loss, but the most sustainable and healthy – for all of you, from head to toe, in line with Yazen's holistic focus on obesity treatment.

Sources

The New England Journal of Medicine. Once-Weekly Semaglutide in Adults with Overweight or Obesity.
https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2032183

National Library of Medicine.Two-Year Effects of Semaglutide in Adults with Overweight or Obesity: STEP 5 Trial.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36216945/

Springer Nature. Collagen and Elastic Content of Abdominal Skin After Surgical Weight Loss. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11695-009-0019-0

National Library of Medicine. Aging of the Facial Skeleton: Aesthetic Implications.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20871486/

Song AY et al. Skin Changes Due to Massive Weight Loss: Histological Changes and the Causes of the Limited Results of Contouring Surgeries.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33145720/