GLP-1s and Aesthetic Concerns: Dermatologists Address “Ozempic Face” and Hair Loss
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Meta Description: Dermatologists are seeing a rise in patients experiencing facial volume loss and hair loss linked to GLP-1 receptor agonists like Ozempic. Learn about treatment options and preventative strategies.
As the use of GLP-1 receptor agonists continues to grow, dermatologists are increasingly likely to encounter patients seeking treatment for cutaneous adverse events, according to a presentation at the South Beach Symposium held February 5-7, 2026, in Miami Beach, Florida. While GLP-1s are associated with metabolic improvements beyond weight loss, and emerging data suggest potential benefits for inflammatory conditions like psoriasis and hidradenitis suppurativa, rapid weight loss can trigger aesthetic effects, including fat redistribution in the face and changes in skin integrity.
GLP-1s slow gastric emptying and motility, but some patients experience diarrhea, particularly when starting therapy. According to Karan Lal, DO, MS, FAAD, a double board-certified pediatric and cosmetic dermatologist in Scottsdale, Arizona, these patients may be at higher risk for cutaneous adverse events like dull, saggy skin or hair loss. “If they are not eating as much and they are experiencing diarrhea, the [nutritional] losses are greater than what they are taking in,” Lal said. “There is a lot of hunger noise that they want to quiet down. The problem is, the cutaneous adverse events we are talking about are mediated by improper nutrition counseling and improper discussion of what you need to do to prevent the hair loss, the volume loss, the muscle loss.”
Treating ‘Ozempic Face’
Facial lipoatrophy – often referred to as “Ozempic face” in media coverage – manifests as a hollowed-out appearance in the cheeks, temples, chin, and periorbital areas due to differential reduction of facial fat compartments. Data published in 2021 in Obesity Surgery revealed that individuals using GLP-1s who experienced significant weight loss also exhibited a reduction in thick collagen fibers, an increase in thin collagen fibers, and increased elastic fiber density.
Lal emphasized the importance of early intervention for optimal results. “The areas that typically [show] first are the temples,” he said. “Then, you start seeing hollowed [areas] with the under eyes. There can also be fat loss in the neck that causes a saggy appearance of the neck that people may notice. The problem is when people come in and it is too late [to treat] they are now just surgical candidates. It is unethical for me to take their money and do things that I think are going to provide an inadequate benefit as opposed to surgery.”
To address volume loss, Lal recommended a “sculpt and lift” treatment protocol, combining poly-L-lactic acid (Sculptra, Galderma) and hyaluronic midface filler (Restylane Lyft/Contour, Galderma) to improve facial harmony and skin quality. “It’s on social media and it’s trending, where people are getting offered Restylane Lyft or Contour, an additional sculptor, to address some of the facial concerns of what we call Ozempic face or GLP-1 face,” Lal said. A study involving 41 patients demonstrated significant improvements in skin quality, enhanced contour in areas like the cheeks, jawline, and periorbital regions, and increased skin radiance. “We don’t talk about skin radiance enough, but with biostimulators like Sculptra or [poly-L-lactic acid] you do get a skin radiance that is hard to describe.”
Optimize Nutrition for Best Results
Lal cautioned that nutritional deficits associated with GLP-1 therapy can diminish the effectiveness of poly-L-lactic acid. He advocates for “priming the skin from a nutritional standpoint” by increasing protein intake to support protein synthesis. “Before I inject, I make sure they are optimizing their diet, and I typically [recommend] 1 g per pound of weight in protein,” Lal said. “That is not to say it must be protein shakes, because if you look at how much absorption you get from a protein shake, it is about 20%. There are other things that you can do.”
He also noted that hyaluronic acid fillers may not last as long in patients taking GLP-1s. Nutrition also plays a crucial role in mitigating GLP-1-associated hair loss. “A lot of these patients are not getting the nutrition that they need from their diet,” Lal said. He recommends pumpkin seed oil, citing data showing it can improve hair thickness and density by 20% to 24% in individuals with male pattern alopecia, with a dosage of 400 mg twice daily.
Minoxidil is another option, according to Lal. “We start topical minoxidil usually for the first month of [patients] going on a GLP-1,” Lal said. “I usually [start] that early on because sometimes minoxidil can be associated with [hair] shed. Then, I talk about the caloric intake that they need and make sure they maintain their protein intake. If they do these things, I have noticed less hair loss in these patients.”
Proactive Patient Monitoring is Key
Lal suggested that dermatologists consider seeing patients before they begin GLP-1 therapy to establish a baseline assessment. “If you know that they’re going to start [GLP-1 therapy] have them come in and take pictures to get an idea of what their face looks like, because it is going to change over time,” Lal said. “You can set the stage for what you want to do. There are some good data on new topicals coming out, and there are also older data on some other good topicals that are available that I get people started on.”
Dermatologists should also closely monitor patients for rare but possible adverse events associated with GLP-1 use, including abdominal pain or distension, pancreatitis, endocrine tumors, and nonarteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION). “Losing weight slowly is much better than losing weight quickly, as someone who’s been through this,” Lal said. “When I prescribe GLP-1s and I am screening patients, I ask about family history of [multiple endocrine neoplasia type II] medullary thyroid cancer, and then I counsel about pulmonary aspiration if people are having elective surgeries, to make sure they stop their GLP-1 2 to 4 weeks before. And then, make sure patients maintain their caloric intake.”
Source: Lal K. Managing complications of GLP-1s. Presented at: South Beach Symposium; Feb. 5-7, 2026; Miami Beach, Florida.
