'Ozempic Butt' and 'Ozempic Face': How Weight Loss Drugs May Affect Your Skin

Some people have critiqued Ozempic—a diabetes medication that can result in weight loss—for causing "Ozempic face" and "Ozempic butt." Individuals taking the medication can experience loose, sagging, or aging skin on their faces and buttocks from rapid weight loss.

The skin has less tissue to cover in either case, which can make it seem saggy or less plump. Here's what to know about Ozempic face or butt, including when people should expect to see it and how to manage this side effect of weight loss.

What Are Ozempic Butt and Ozempic Face?

Sagging or wrinkled skin on a person's face or butt is commonly known as “Ozempic face” or “Ozempic butt.” The often quick weight loss people see when taking weight loss drugs can lead to the issue of sagging skin.

The skin on our bodies has the ability to change or return to its shape when stretched—this is known as skin elasticity. Skin elasticity depends on a host of factors, including age, lifestyle habits, and genetics. Collagen and hydration levels may also impact skin elasticity.

Age, in particular, is a significant risk factor for loss of skin elasticity. As a person ages, their skin becomes less flexible.

Past a person’s biological and lifestyle factors, the speed at which someone loses weight and the amount lost can also affect skin elasticity. Losing a lot of weight very quickly, for example, may make it harder for the skin to resorb the new shape of the tissue underneath it, Andrew Kraftson, MD, clinical associate professor in the division of endocrinology and director of the weight navigation program at University of Michigan Health, told Health.

Who's Likely To Have Them?

People taking any of the following medications can experience Ozempic face and Ozempic butt:

• Ozempic (semaglutide): FDA-approved to treat type 2 diabetes.
• Wegovy (semaglutide): FDA-approved to treat overweight and obesity
• Mounjaro (tirzepatide): FDA-approved to treat type 2 diabetes.

Wegovy is the only medication currently approved by the FDA to treat overweight and obesity. It’s been reported that the other two—Ozempic and Mounjaro—have been used off-label for weight loss.

These medications can help people with type 2 diabetes, overweight, or obesity become healthier by reducing their risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and certain types of cancer. All three drugs work pretty similarly overall.

Both semaglutide and tirzepatide stimulate insulin release from the pancreas when blood sugar levels are high. They also help delay gastric emptying, which in turn makes people feel less hungry, and people may lose stored fat as a result.

Other Ozempic Side Effects

People can experience other side effects from taking Ozempic. The most common ones are stomach and digestive problems, such as constipation, diarrhea, and stomach pain.

How Does Your Skin Change After Weight Loss?

Your face and buttocks aren't the only places on the body that can have loose skin. Anything that looks more full when people have gained weight—such as the thighs or breasts, for example—can also appear more aged or less full post-weight loss, said Dr. Kraftson.

Generally speaking, however, many people store excess fat around their bottom and mid-section, said Shanina Knighton, PhD, RN, associate professor at the Case Western Reserve University School of Nursing. People on semaglutide may lose a lot of fat in those areas, which may in part explain “Ozempic butt,” added Knighton.

Weight loss in the face often has a similarly sizable impact because of how fat is deposited in the body. “When we automatically start losing the weight, someone says, ‘Oh, I noticed that your face is getting slimmer.’ It’s because you already don’t have a lot of it there to begin with,” said Knighton. “It’s going to be one of the things that’s most noticeable.”

This is also why people often say that “Ozempic face” ages people—the skin is no longer as taut. People get face filler to look young and avoid wrinkles, said Dr. Kraftson, but losing tissue in the face has the opposite effect.

Though weight loss and diabetes drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy have become the primary focus of loose skin following weight loss, these side effects aren’t specific to the medications. They’re instead the result of quick, major weight loss.

“[It also] happens in folks who have bariatric surgery or go through more intensive dietary efforts,” Dr. Kraftson said. “That would be no different than with medication.”

Managing Loose Skin After Weight Loss

Sagging skin is largely a cosmetic concern, but a prematurely aged appearance may still be a source of discomfort or insecurity for some people. Larger amounts of excess skin can also present some health issues.

“For some individuals, it does have a medical impact,” said Dr. Kraftson. “That could be when there’s skin breakdown, skin irritation, rashes, hygienic issues, limitations to activity because of the excess skin.”

It may not be fully possible to avoid sagging or loose skin as it’s a natural consequence of losing fat tissue. It still may be possible for some people to “minimize” these more negative side effects, said Knighton.

Consider Gradual Weight Loss

Some weight loss plans for medications such as Wegovy last about 18 months, added Dr. Kraftson. That more gradual usage may be enough time for the skin to “accommodate a bit more of those changes,” explained Dr. Kraftson, as opposed to trying to lose the weight in a shorter amount of time.

Keep NEWS in Mind

NEWS is a good acronym to keep in mind when losing weight—nutrition, exercise, water, and sleep. They’re all proponents of losing weight in the first place—good nutrition and exercise may be obvious, but getting more sleep is associated with weight loss, as is proper hydration.

These four may also reduce the extent of loose or sagging skin post-weight loss, added Knighton. The body goes through a “dramatic process” when people lose large amounts of weight, and it’s important that the body has what it needs to successfully undergo that, said Knighton.

Drinking enough water and getting enough sleep are essential in general health but especially for skin health. Proper hydration and sleep—both of which may improve skin elasticity—are other important ways to support the body, and all the cell regeneration it’s doing during weight loss, added Knighton.

Consult With a Healthcare Provider

Weight loss and skin elasticity is very individual, so this may not work for everybody, said Knighton. Many people may assume that they can simply get rid of any loose skin after weight loss simply by exercising, added Dr. Kraftson, which “rarely, if ever, happens.”

People can consult healthcare providers if they’re concerned about sagging skin. Sometimes plastic surgery may be a good option, said Dr. Kraftson, especially if people want to remove skin on the stomach, arms, or legs.

A Quick Review

The side effects of Ozempic butt and Ozempic face come from having loose skin resulting in rapid weight loss after using the medication Ozempic. These and other effects—like vomiting or diarrhea—can also come from taking similar medications, such as Wegovy and Mounjaro.

You can also experience weight-loss skin changes related to other areas of your body, but there are ways to manage loose skin like losing weight slowly and staying hydrated. See a healthcare provider if you have concerns about Ozempic side effects or loose skin from weight loss.