You've probably seen the photos. One week, a celebrity or a friend looks like themselves—just maybe a little heavier—and the next time you see a picture, they've dropped forty pounds but look somehow... older. The cheeks are hollow. The eyes look a bit more deep-set. There's a certain gauntness that social media has unceremoniously dubbed Ozempic face.
Honestly, it’s a bit of a weird name. The medication itself isn't a "face-melting" drug. It’s semaglutide. Whether you’re on Ozempic, Mounjaro, or you just lost a ton of weight the old-fashioned way through sheer grit and grilled chicken, the result on your face is often the same. When the fat goes, the scaffolding goes with it.
What do pictures of ozempic face before and after actually show?
If you look at side-by-side comparisons, the changes aren't just about a smaller chin. It’s about volume. In the "before" pictures, people usually have what dermatologists call "youthful fat pads." These are little pockets of fat in your cheeks and temples that keep your skin taut and smooth.
In the "after" pictures of ozempic face, those pads have shrunk. Here is what typically stands out in those images:
- The Mid-Face Drop: The cheeks, which used to be round, now look flat or even sunken.
- Temple Hollowing: You might notice a slight "skeletonized" look around the forehead and eyes.
- The Jowl Effect: Without fat to hold it up, the skin on the lower face starts to succumb to gravity, pooling around the jawline.
- Shadows: Because the face is less smooth, light hits it differently, creating shadows under the eyes and around the mouth (those pesky nasolabial folds) that weren't there before.
Basically, fat is the natural filler we’re born with. When you lose it rapidly—especially if you're over 40—your skin doesn't always have the elasticity to "shrink-wrap" to your new, smaller frame.
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Is it the drug or just the weight loss?
There’s a lot of debate here. Some people swear the drug does something specific to facial fat. However, most experts, like Dr. Joshua Zeichner or Dr. Paul Jarrod Frank, argue that it’s simply the speed of the weight loss.
When you lose weight slowly, your body has more time to adjust. Ozempic and other GLP-1 medications work so well that people are dropping 15% to 20% of their body weight in a relatively short window. Your skin is a living organ, but it isn't a rubber band. If you deflate the balloon too fast, it gets wrinkly.
It’s also worth noting that semaglutide can sometimes lead to muscle wasting (sarcopenia) if you aren't eating enough protein or strength training. Since your face has muscles too, losing that tone can make the sagging look even worse.
Real examples and public transformations
We’ve seen this play out in the public eye quite a bit. Sharon Osbourne has been incredibly candid about her journey, admitting she "didn't want to go this thin" and noting the changes in her facial structure. Scott Disick also sparked a massive wave of "Ozempic face" searches after photos surfaced showing a much more angular, gaunt facial appearance compared to his previous look.
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Then you have someone like Oprah Winfrey, who has acknowledged using weight-loss medication as a tool but seems to have maintained a very healthy, glowing complexion. This suggests that "Ozempic face" isn't an inevitable destiny. It often depends on your starting age, your genetics, and how you manage your nutrition during the process.
How to treat the "gaunt" look
If you’re looking at your own "after" photo and feeling a bit deflated, you aren't stuck. The aesthetic industry has pivoted hard toward "fixing" this specific look over the last couple of years.
The "Liquid Facelift"
Dermal fillers are the most common answer. Doctors use hyaluronic acid fillers like Juvéderm or Restylane to literally put the volume back where the fat used to be. By revolumizing the cheeks and temples, they can "lift" the skin back up.
Biostimulators
Instead of just filling the space, drugs like Sculptra (poly-L-lactic acid) tell your body to grow its own collagen. It’s a slower process, but it looks very natural because it’s your own tissue doing the work.
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Skin Tightening
If the issue is more about "crepy" skin than deep hollows, treatments like Sofwave, Ultherapy, or radiofrequency microneedling can help. These use heat to snap the collagen fibers back into shape.
The Surgical Route
For some, the skin laxity is too much for a needle to fix. In these cases, a "mini-lift" or a full facelift is the only way to remove the excess skin. Interestingly, plastic surgeons are reporting a surge in younger patients seeking these procedures specifically after massive GLP-1 weight loss.
Can you prevent it?
Kinda. You can definitely move the needle in your favor. First, don't rush the dosage. If you're losing five pounds a week, your face is going to pay the price. Slowing down the titration of the medication gives your skin a fighting chance.
Hydration is also non-negotiable. Dehydrated skin looks thin and dull, which accentuates every wrinkle. Also, eat your protein. You need those amino acids to keep your skin's structural integrity.
Actionable Steps to Take Now:
- Prioritize Protein: Aim for at least 0.8 to 1 gram of protein per pound of your goal body weight to protect muscle and skin health.
- Skincare Audit: Start using a prescription-strength retinoid (like Tretinoin) and a high-quality Vitamin C serum to boost collagen production from the outside in.
- Consult a Pro Early: If you're planning to lose more than 30 pounds, talk to a cosmetic dermatologist before the hollowing starts. Preventive biostimulators can sometimes keep the skin from sagging in the first place.
- Check Your Stats: Make sure you aren't just losing "weight," but specifically "fat." Use a body composition scale to ensure you're keeping your lean muscle mass intact.
The reality is that for most people, the health benefits of losing significant weight—lower blood pressure, reversed diabetes, better mobility—far outweigh the vanity of a few extra wrinkles. "Ozempic face" is a sign of a massive internal health shift; it’s just one that might require a little extra TLC for your skin.