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Do weight loss drugs affect hair and skin?
Many users notice changes in hair and skin quality after using GLP-1 medications. Is this solely due to weight loss, or do these drugs have broader effects on your body? We examine the research and explore whether these changes can be reversed.
Medication-assisted weight-loss drugs have been gaining popularity in recent years. Swayed by the success stories of celebrities and Tik-Tokers, more and more people with obesity issues have been resorting to drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy to shed the unwanted kilos.
Part of a class of drugs known generically as semaglutide, Ozempic mimics the effects of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), a naturally occurring hormone that stimulates the pancreas to secrete more insulin when blood sugar levels shoot up. It also affects hunger signals in the brain. Originally developed and approved for managing blood sugar levels in patients with Type 2 diabetes, the drug has to be administered via injections either weekly or biweekly.
Side effects of Weight-loss Drugs
While these drugs can spell hope for those seeking to lose weight, users have found themselves grappling with unexpected reactions such as hair loss and sagging skin.
On Reddit, Ozempic users have reported incidences of hair fall, drier skin, more sagging, neck wattles and loss of fat on the face.
“I have been on Ozempic for a little over a year. My hair loss started at about the six-month mark. I now have to use kid-sized ties wrapped three times around because my hair is so thin.” Another shares her woes: “I’ve been on it for about 6 months and my hair is in terrible shape. Breaking all over even with regular trims.”
Meanwhile others moan about their diminishing skin quality, “I’m down 45 pounds on Ozempic and while I feel amazing overall, my face is definitely showing the weight loss in ways I wasn’t ready for – volume loss, skin sagging, and I swear my eyes look more sunken.”
In similar tone, another Ozempic user complains that “the amount of oils produced in my skin has totally changed”. “The feel of my skin is different. It is drier and my eyes are sunken.”
Indeed, research on these issues corroborate these complaints. A paper published in the Cureus Journal of Medical Science found that alopecia has recently been reported as “a potential emerging adverse effect associated with glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1Ras)”. While gastrointestinal symptoms remain the most frequently documented adverse effect, an increasing number of studies describe hair loss in patients treated with weight-loss drugs like semaglutide, liraglutide, tirzepatide, and dulaglutide.
Is Ozempic Face Real?
Other studies have also investigated assertions that Ozempic leaves users looking gaunt and haggard.
In fact, a new terminology has been coined by the public and plastic surgery community alike to describe its unintended effects to the face and body. This is described in a paper titled ‘Ozempic Face in Plastic Surgery: A Systematic Review of the Literature on GLP-1 Receptor Agonist Mediated Weight Loss and Analysis of Public Perceptions’ in the Aesthetic Surgery Journal which reports, “terms like Ozempic face, Ozempic butt and Ozempic body have been used to describe the loss of tissue volume resulting from semaglutide therapy, with plastic surgery extensively discussing these concepts on social media, podcasts and blogs.”
The paper observes that patients who undergo moderate medication-assisted weight loss typically lose no more than 25% of their total body weight, so they do not fall into the category of massive-weight-loss patients. Despite this, they still experience some of the same issues as these patients. This can include changes to facial structure by a reduction in “size of the lips, cheeks, and chin, as well as cellular changes resulting in decreased levels of collagen and elastin. Fat loss in the temporal region, cheeks, tear trough, jawline, marionette lines, and nasolabial folds can make patients appear gaunt and resemble facial aging.” These effects are more pronounced in older folk with naturally lower levels of collagen. However, the paper surmises that there is no conclusive evidence that the drug itself has a part to play in skin aging.
Counteracting this view is a paper in the Journal of Drugs in Dermatology. Entitled ‘Natural Weight Loss or “Ozempic face”: Demystifying a Social Media Phenomenon’, which states that there is some basis to the oft-touted Ozempic face and that its occurrence is not purely due to fat loss. The condition has to do with a natural decline in elastin turnover by weight loss drug users. Elucidates the paper: “Elastin, a main component of the dermal skin layer, allows skin to stretch and recoil. Over time, elastin turnover decreases and can be damaged by various factors including ultraviolet (UV) radiation. When patients receive a GLP-1 agonist known to increase weight loss, concurrently with a natural decline in elastin turnover, the lack of recoil and loss of subcutaneous fat can produce wrinkling and sagging; this effect may have gone undetected until the addition of GLP-1 agonist.”
Also of the view that the weight-loss drug has a part to play in Ozempic face and facial aging and that the resulting hollow temples and gaunt appearance are not simply due to a reduction in facial fat is a paper published in the Endocrine Journal. Titled ‘GLP-1RA and the possible skin aging’, the paper argues that the drug may affect other skin cells, which may “accelerate the process of aging itself”.
How PTT-6® Can Help
For Ozempic users who are affected by skin and hair changes, there are both surgical and non-surgical options to rectify the damage done. While some may opt for plastic surgery and dermal fillers, a less invasive solution can be found in CALECIM® Professional’s range of hair and skincare.
CALECIM®’s Advanced Hair System is a hair loss treatment that harnesses ethically sourced stem cells to stimulate hair growth naturally. It contains PTT-6®, a proprietary and patented active ingredient, which promotes hair growth by activating hair follicles. Its effect in reversing hair loss caused by Ozempic use has been documented by Olivia Falcon, a beauty editor, in the Daily Mail. Initially thrilled at losing 22lb from being on the drug, she was shattered to notice that her ponytail had thinned out by 30% and her hairline was looking patchy. Advised by trichologist Kelly Morrell, she decided to try the Advanced Hair System.
“Having used it myself religiously over the past six months, it does indeed make a palpable difference. After just eight weeks, I noticed a frizzy halo of baby hairs sprouting and, three months in, my ponytail has definitely thickened out.”
CALECIM®’s array of skincare products are designed to restore elasticity to skin. PTT-6®, also a key ingredient in its skincare, contains growth factors and hyaluronic acid which play an important role in enhancing the level of elastin in skin. Indeed, in-vitro results affirm this, showing that aged skin cells were able to increase elastin production by 56% when exposed to PTT-6®.
Elastin together with hyaluronic acid contribute to skin fullness and elasticity. Growth factors are also necessary for this. PTT-6® is a complex combination of growth factors, cytokines and proteins that signal the cells to regenerate. These cellular messages can help with skin laxity and dryness, unveiling firmer, more hydrated skin.
The growth factors in CALECIM®’s skincare arsenal like its Multi-action Cream, Restorative Hydration cream and Professional Serum trigger skin to rebuild and rehydrate. They encourage the natural production of hyaluronic acid from within, minimizing wrinkles and fine lines and plumping up skin. User Tracy Johnson shared on TrustPilot, “I'm starting to see volume again under my eyes that I lost from weight loss”.
For weight-loss drug users, shedding unwanted kilos does not have to result in an aged appearance. Non-invasive treatments like CALECIM® can help effectively restore their youthful looks, allowing them to look as healthy and rejuvenated as they feel.
