I Had “Ozempic Face” Before Ozempic Face Existed

I Had “Ozempic Face” Before Ozempic Face Existed

What GLP-1 weight loss can mean for your face and why I believe in pre-treating, treating, and maintaining along the way.

GLP-1 medications are reshaping more than weight management. They’re also changing the way I assess and treat my patients.

I’ve dedicated a significant amount of time to learning about GLP-1 medications and understanding what significant weight loss can do to the face and body. I have more patients taking these medications than ever before, so this has become very relevant to my aesthetic practice.

There’s also a personal reason I’m so interested in it.

I joke that I had “Ozempic face” before Ozempic face existed.

After having my son, I lost a significant amount of weight and my face changed dramatically. I was thin and suddenly looked much more hollow and depleted than I was used to seeing.

I’ve basically been chasing my own face ever since.

That experience taught me a lot. Restoring a face after significant weight loss isn’t as simple as putting a little filler back in. There are changes happening at different levels, and they don’t all respond to the same treatment.

Now we have something I didn't really have at the time: the ability to anticipate some of these changes and start the conversation earlier.

I Don't Prescribe GLP-1s, and That's Intentional

I believe medical weight loss should be managed by someone who specializes in it.

There is a lot more to GLP-1 treatment than writing a prescription and watching the scale go down. Nutrition, muscle preservation, appropriate dosing, side effects, and long-term maintenance all matter.

Having personal success on a GLP-1 doesn't suddenly make someone an expert in medical weight management. And adding GLP-1s to a med spa menu doesn't make it an area of expertise either.

I stay in my lane.

My expertise is aesthetics.

But staying in my lane doesn't mean ignoring what my patients are doing outside of my office. If a medication is changing their face and body, I need to understand it because it changes how I assess them and how I develop their aesthetic treatment plan.

Don't Wait Until You've Lost the Weight

This is probably one of the biggest changes in how I approach these patients.

I don't necessarily want you to wait until you've reached your goal weight before we start talking about your face.

My philosophy is:

“Pre-treat. Treat. Maintain.”

If you're planning to lose a significant amount of weight, tell me.

I want to know what your face and skin look like before those changes occur. I can evaluate your skin quality, existing laxity, facial structure and where you may already be showing volume loss.

This doesn't mean I'm going to start filling your face because you're taking a GLP-1.

It means we're thinking ahead.

“Prevention over intervention” whenever we realistically can.

What Is “Ozempic Face,” Anyway?

I'm actually not a huge fan of the term.

Ozempic isn't uniquely melting people's faces.

What we're largely talking about are changes that can happen with significant weight loss. Facial fat decreases, previously supported areas may become more hollow, and skin laxity can become more noticeable.

Age matters here too.

The skin's ability to accommodate significant weight loss at 25 isn't necessarily the same as it is at 45, 55, or 65.

This is why I don't have a standard “GLP-1 face treatment.”

I need to look at what has actually changed in your face.

Skin Quality Is Only Part of the Picture

Collagen support has become an important part of how I approach patients during significant weight loss.

Depending on the patient, I may incorporate treatments such as biostimulators, microneedling, or other treatments aimed at supporting collagen and skin quality.

I love biostimulators. I use them regularly.

But here's where I think aesthetics has swung a little too far in the other direction.

You can't just biostimulate your skin and expect your old face back.

Significant weight loss doesn't only affect the surface of your skin. Changes in the deeper facial fat compartments can affect the support and shape of the face.

Collagen stimulation doesn't replace that structure.

And Yes, Filler Still Matters

Social media has done a pretty spectacular job of destroying filler.

I understand why.

We've all seen overfilled faces. We've seen filler placed poorly and used in ways it was never intended to be used.

But bad filler and appropriately placed filler are not the same thing.

Hyaluronic acid filler is still one of the most useful tools I have for facial rejuvenation.

When deeper facial support has been lost, strategically placed HA filler can help restore support to the face. The goal isn't to replace every ounce of volume you lost or make you look “filled.”

It's about understanding facial anatomy and putting the right amount of product in the right place.

When filler is used properly, it can make an incredible difference without anyone knowing you have filler.

I think patients are truly missing out, when fear created by social media prevents them from considering a treatment they can really benefit from.

This isn't about being pro-filler or anti-filler.

It's about knowing what you're looking at.

Treating the Face in Layers

This is where experience really matters.

If the issue is skin quality, putting filler in it isn't going to fix the skin.

If deeper support has been lost, treating only the skin isn't going to recreate that support either.

A good treatment plan has to address what has actually changed anatomically.

For one patient, that may involve collagen stimulation and skin treatments first, with very conservative structural filler. Another patient may need something entirely different.

And as the weight continues to change, I reassess.

The plan should evolve with the patient.

GLP-1 Weight Loss Affects the Body Too

The conversation doesn't stop at the jawline.

Significant weight loss can reveal laxity on the neck, arms, abdomen, thighs, buttocks, and other areas of the body.

This is another reason I've spent so much time educating myself about GLP-1s. I need to understand what's happening to the entire patient, even if I'm not the person managing their weight loss.

There are limitations to what nonsurgical aesthetics can accomplish. If someone has significant excess skin after major weight loss, I'm going to be upfront about that.

I would rather recommend surgery when surgery is the appropriate answer than sell someone a series of treatments that aren't going to give them the result they want.

We're Learning to Think Ahead

The rise of GLP-1 medications hasn't changed my overall philosophy about aesthetics. If anything, it has reinforced it.

Understand the anatomy. Don't chase every problem with a syringe. Use different treatments for what they're actually designed to do. And think about where the patient is going, not just what they look like today.

I didn't have the benefit of thinking ahead when I lost the volume in my own face.

I've spent years chasing it.

My patients now have the opportunity to approach things differently.

So if you're taking a GLP-1, thinking about starting one, or planning significant weight loss, tell me.

I don't need to manage your weight loss.

I want to help you think ahead about your face and skin while you're doing it.

Pre-treat. Treat. Maintain.

Because it's a whole lot easier to have a plan than spend years chasing your old face.