Ozempic face — no, it’s not an insult or a newly coined slur. It’s a term used to explain the shocking side effect of the diabetes drug on the face after a sudden weight reduction.
The term has been making rounds on social media, after the Latest York Times ran a story on the difficulty two weeks ago, which included a graphic illustration of a weirdly distorted face. On TikTok alone, videos tagged with the phrase #OzempicFace have been viewed greater than 515 million times.
Jennifer Berger, who was interviewed by the Times for the article, shared that her appearance modified after using Mounjaro — a diabetes drug that works similarly to Ozempic and Wegovy.
“I remember looking within the mirror, and it was almost like I didn’t even recognize myself. My body looked great, but my face looked exhausted and old,” the 41-year-old mom who lost 20 lbs. because of the drug told the outlet.
In line with Dr. Paul Jarrod Frank, the Latest York-based dermatologist who coined the term “Ozempic face,” people of their 40s or 50s would come to his clinic complaining in regards to the sagging of their faces after a dramatic weight reduction. Most of them used Ozempic.
“I see it day by day in my office. A 50-year-old patient will are available in, and suddenly, she’s super-skinny and desires filler, which she never needed before. I have a look at her and say, ‘How long have you ever been on Ozempic?’ And I’m right 100% of the time. It is the drug of alternative today for the 1 percent,” Frank said, as quoted by People.
Plastic surgeon Dr. Oren Tepper explained to the Times that it’s actually quite common for the face to vary or deflate in key areas because of this of weight reduction.
One other plastic surgeon, Jennifer Levine, MD, told Good Housekeeping that the “more sculpted, less volumized face” is a product of fat loss because of sudden weight reduction. The face also loses elasticity because of this, based on her.
But Ozempic face isn’t the one side effect of the diabetes drug. Amy Rothberg, MD, a clinical professor of internal medicine on the University of Michigan Health, shared via the identical outlet that Ozempic also causes GI issues, including nausea, vomiting, constipation and diarrhea.
Ozempic and other diabetes drugs recently attracted a variety of attention after reports surfaced that Hollywood celebrities were paying much to secure doses for his or her weight reduction. The problem led to a shortage of the drug, originally intended for diabetes patients.