Culture Plastic surgeons warn ‘Ozempic face’ has taken over Hollywood


By Ben Cost
Published April 19, 2024

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Why the long face?

Ozempic.

Amid the weight loss treatment’s skyrocketing popularity, surgeons believe that Hollywood is experiencing a spike in the side effect known as “Ozempic Face.”

Several doctors claimed to the Daily Mail that celebs from John Goodman to Sharon Osborne are among those hit hardest by the alleged condition.

For the uninitiated, some side effects of taking Ozempic include sunken eyes, gaunt cheeks and saggy skin, often making the user appear older and more deflated.

“Ozempic face is essentially the same characteristics that we see when patients have rapid or regular weight loss,” Dr. Smita Ramanadham, a plastic surgeon in New Jersey, told the Daily Mail.

“We see a loss of volume in the face, and when we lose fat in the face we see signs like the cheeks are more sunken in, more sagging skin and a general hollowing out of the features.”

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Jessica said she never used a weight loss drug but admitted to losing 100 pounds between 2019 and 2020.

The injectable treatment mimics a naturally occurring hormone that tells the brain it’s full, thereby curbing the appetite and inducing rapid weight loss.

Ozempic’s fat-fighting capabilities have understandably made it all the rage in body-obsessed Hollywood, which has allegedly resulted the aforementioned rise in “deflation,” according to experts.

After examining pics of 15 celebs who experienced a major weight loss transformation, a panel of surgeons speculated that at least half may have suffered from this facial emaciation.

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Jessica Simpson visits SiriusXM Studios for SiriusXM’s Town Hall with Jessica Simpson hosted by Andy Cohen on February 05, 2020, in New York City.

The surgeons analyzed the case of actor John Goodman, 71, who shed nearly 200 pounds — nearly half his heaviest weight — since 2007.

Goodman has denied taking Ozempic and the “Roseanne” actor credited dieting, exercise and giving up booze for his pound-shedding pilgrimage.

“You see more lines, more wrinkles and more deflation in his face as he loses weight compared to when he was heavier and his face was fuller,” Ramanadham declared of Goodman.

“These changes are just very typical of overall weight loss regardless of whether weight loss drugs were used.”

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John Goodman has reportedly lost nearly 200 pounds since 2007.

Also on the list was singer Robbie Williams, 50, who admitted in the fall that he was taking something “like Ozempic” without specifying the treatment.

Ramanadham believed this was evident in his visage, describing: “You can see a hollowing under the eyes and the cheeks and more wrinkles appearing because of a loss of volume. With Robbie, you can see the direct results of weight loss.”

“Ozempic face” was less pronounced with women, surgeons said, because they’re traditionally more likely to obscure flaws with fillers and makeup.

However, they did point to Sharon Osbourne, who reportedly lost 42 pounds on the drug, as the most “dramatic” example of the condition.

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Osbourne on “Good Morning Britain.”

“Her eyes look more sunken in, her cheeks have more hollowing,” claimed Ramanadham.

“There is a significant loss in facial volume as well, and more wrinkling that is associated with it.”

Other alleged Tinsel-frown sufferers included Jessica Simpson, Scott Disick and Liam Payne, although surgeons attributed the latter’s streamlined countenance to buccal fat surgery, in which the fat pad is cored out of the cheeks.

Ozempic face is one of many side effects associated with the drug, of which 9 million prescriptions were written in the last three months of 2022, the Daily Mail reported.

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Scott Disick on the beach in Miami on February 22, 2022.

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Scott Disick (right) enjoys a night out with friends, including Jordan Barrett, as they leave dinner at Catch Steak in Los Angeles in 2024.

Along with causing people to lose face, the treatment has also been blamed for including vision problems, constipation and even changes in personality.

Meanwhile, in January, several Ozempic adherents claimed they stopped taking the drug and ended up regaining more weight than they lost.
 
While I hate these Hollywood lunatics, I don't get all the hate against regular people taking these drugs. Is it because they are expensive? Like it's seen as a class thing? Or like a moral failing that they couldn't control their weight without it?
It's definitely sour grapes.

They hate wealthier people can afford a way to quickly fix their weight while they're still struggling, so they'd like to imagine these people are permanently disfiguring themselves. It's not that different from articles that would talk about how awful it is to lose more than a pound a month because what about sagging skin or organ health. They're trying to cope with not having money or willpower.
 
I swear I'd think this is some advertising for weight loss drugs, only problem is Ozempic is not the weight loss drug, Wegovy is (exact same drug but only wegovy is explicitly marketed as a weight loss treatment)

Its major contribution to weight loss is reduced appetite/cravings and an increase in satiety after eating. While it does work better than placebo it really doesn't effect weight loss anymore dramatically than a determined person can do without drugs.
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That's normal if you limit calories and do some kind of training.
It’s normal for men. Men have a lot more muscle and can lose weight by doing stuff like not drinking beer and eyeing a dumbbell twice a day. Women seethe at this as we don’t and can’t. lol.
I’m getting inclined to agree with you. My own experience is that it’s helped me lose some of the baby weight, but it also causes stomach pain that gets severely worse after eating, So it’s like Antabuse for food :(
Oh are you on it? How have you found it? ( I am not a doctor and this is not medical advice but what I’ve heard is that you should not drink any alcohol at all on these drugs - so if you do, even very moderate amounts, stop. )
I’m really fascinated by the whole class as years ago I did some work which kind of touched on the effects these hormones have, as a sort of side effect of something I was involved with at the time . Can’t PL more about that but I find them really interesting.
It looks like one side effect is reducing inflammation. I don’t know if it’s doing it directly or indirectly via eating less.
first ever breakthrough 'disease modifying therapy' in Parkinson's disease (which can maybe slow or stop the progression )
So this is really interesting to hear - inflammation in the brain is something associated with many degenerative diseases. I will watch this one closely.
I also hear that it’s helping people with addictive behaviour- alcohol in particular seems to almost turn off the craving for in some people. I wonder if it would be useful as a therapeutic in people with prader- willi syndrome?
 
Weight loss drugs skeeve me out. Im not against them or anyone who takes them, I just cant get over feeling like there are going to be terrible health consequences uncovered in those people taking these drugs. So far they seem pretty safe and beneficial, I just have a weird gut feeling about it that I cant get over. Also, of course your face is going to thin out over weight loss- not sure why it is suprising lol
 
It’s normal for men. Men have a lot more muscle and can lose weight by doing stuff like not drinking beer and eyeing a dumbbell twice a day. Women seethe at this as we don’t and can’t. lol.

I dig it. The job before this one, I'd raid the vending machines and drink tons of soda, and my female coworkers said that I had to have worms because I always stayed at the same weight. They were always tripping about overeating yet never ate and always had fluff to them.
 
I dig it. The job before this one, I'd raid the vending machines and drink tons of soda, and my female coworkers said that I had to have worms because I always stayed at the same weight. They were always tripping about overeating yet never ate and always had fluff to them.
If you’re smaller than average (average is five foot four) female your BMR is about 1300 kcal a day. Not many people stay totally immobile all day but even then, a sedentary office worker who is short and female is going to have a budget of about 1600 kcal a day before she puts weight on. That doesn’t go very far. It is annoying
 
It's definitely sour grapes.

They hate wealthier people can afford a way to quickly fix their weight while they're still struggling, so they'd like to imagine these people are permanently disfiguring themselves. It's not that different from articles that would talk about how awful it is to lose more than a pound a month because what about sagging skin or organ health. They're trying to cope with not having money or willpower.
I don't know if it's "hate". I'd venture to guess that it's more of an aversion to the unnaturally quick weight loss and associated gaunt/emaciated look afterwards. These "Ozempic face" people do look sick, and people, like most animals, are instinctively inclined to avoid being around sick members of their group. So when people recoil and lash out against this, I'd say it's more of the natural instincts kicking in than anything else.

As someone who's lost over 100 pounds in about a year, and I can honestly say that I've done it naturally, with clean eating, diet and exercise, that "Ozempic face" look is somewhat noticeable, but it quickly fades if you keep a natural progress, drunk plenty of water, and allow your skin to re-adjust and settle naturally over time. The plastic surgery people are probably fucked for a good while though. And yeah, John Goodman has been slimming down for years. He more than likely did it as he said, the natural way. Plus you've gotta remember, he's someone who was morbidly obese for DECADES, and now in his 70s, the skin probably won't ever shrink back to a normal shape, unless he goes for a face lift.
Weight loss drugs skeeve me out. Im not against them or anyone who takes them, I just cant get over feeling like there are going to be terrible health consequences uncovered in those people taking these drugs. So far they seem pretty safe and beneficial, I just have a weird gut feeling about it that I cant get over. Also, of course your face is going to thin out over weight loss- not sure why it is suprising lol
In the case of these new hormone-mimicking drugs, I honestly see a rash of (especially) thyroid, pancreas, and gall bladder issues in the forthcoming decade or two. There's too many people going for far too long on these drugs that are being used untested and off-label. It's really worrying.
 
Oh are you on it?
Yes, I do take it. (Well, wegovy, but it’s the same darn thing with a different name.)
How have you found it? ( I am not a doctor and this is not medical advice but what I’ve heard is that you should not drink any alcohol at all on these drugs - so if you do, even very moderate amounts, stop. )
It’s hard to tolerate, tbh.

The first month on Ozempic was very painful no matter what I tried, and after several months I still get moderate to severe stomach pain during and after eating. If you try to push through the pain and eat anyway (say, you’re at some celebratory Chinese meal and people keep telling you to have a bite of this or that, it’s so good, I’ll be upset if you don’t try it) then you end up dry heaving or vomiting. It’s easier to eat foods low in fat and protein and high in carbs (I’ve been eating a lot of rice porridge at breakfast.) So it can make mealtimes difficult if you’re not in a position to choose your menu and to just excuse yourself when you’re done.

Pros: I lost 9 kilos. You don’t ever really feel hungry, just a dull ache from not eating.

I haven’t heard anything about “never drink on this med”, until you said so. I do drink and my GP knows that, and she didn’t say anything, nor was there any warnings about that on the Rx labeling (it does warn about SI, which was unexpected.) But it curbs the craving to drink alcohol just like it curbs your craving to eat. So you end up drinking less than before.

I have heard that research suggests the weight loss will be reversed if you quit the drug, annd also there’s a two month washout period before you should try to get pregnant. Which begs the question, what happens if someone gets pregnant by accident? And the answer so far is, nobody knows. (And that’s a big blind spot, as I know there are plenty of women trying to lose weight to improve their fertility.)

I also noticed I get headaches much more easily and often on this medication.

It’s cool that you researched these related hunger hormones. Despite my mixed experience, I think it’s a promising field, especially for people who already got T2 diabetes, cause I understand that diabetes makes weight control even more annoying.
 
The problem with Ozempic face ain't that they look thinner now, but rather unnaturally thin. When you lose weight naturally, the process is slow and your face changes gradually, but if you lose weight because you got severely ill, your face can tell how stressful the process was. They're losing weight too fast and the skin is getting saggy and hollow.

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He doesn't look slim, he looks like he has TB.

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These look "odd" because we were used to their old fat faces, but they don't look like they got AIDS.
There are fat pads that you are not supposed to lose even when you are very thin.
Looks like Ozempic doesn't discriminate like your body, which would only remove the excess fat.
A lot of those fat pads have the function of cushioning muscles and tendons and make everything slide and bend smoothly. If you remove those fat pads, you will increase the amount of wear and strain placed upon your muscles and tendons heavily. Just the image of tendons grinding against each other and shearing off part of the fascia makes me cringe.
 
I also hear that it’s helping people with addictive behaviour- alcohol in particular seems to almost turn off the craving for in some people. I wonder if it would be useful as a therapeutic in people with prader- willi syndrome?
You're absolutely right about these drugs might supress addiction. I didn't mention it because there are no big clinical trials yet but it's definitely being investigated.

Appetite regulating peptides have been known for some time to be linked to the process of addiction through activation of the 'mesolimbic dopamine pathway' and the 'gut-brain axis'

There are multiple preliminary studies in mice and rats showing glp-1 drugs reduce alcohol consumption in animal models of substance abuse. Animal studies also show positive effects in models of cocaine and amphetamine addiction

GLP-1 signaling and alcohol-mediated behaviors; preclinical and clinical evidence​


Preclinical studies show that GLP-1 receptor activation, either by GLP-1 or analogues, attenuate the ability of alcohol to activate the mesolimbic dopamine system as well as decrease alcohol consumption and operant self-administration


It's very early data, so it's not a sure thing. There are anecdotal reports from people, but there haven't been large clinical studies on addiction in humans or primates to my knowledge.
 
nor was there any warnings about that on the Rx labeling
No there won’t be, to go on a label requires specific data, this is more a ‘feeling’ people have. It’s one of those things you suspect will happen and I have a decently high rate at being right. Alcohol is an irritant too and it will stay in contact with the stomach longer plus I suspect it’s behind some of the pancreas issues (although most will be gallstones .)
have heard that research suggests the weight loss will be reversed if you quit the drug,
It’s like anything - CICO is roughly correct and if someone’s eating too much they will put weight back on.
what happens if someone gets pregnant by accident? And the answer so far is, nobody knows. (And that’s a big blind spot, as I know there are plenty of women trying to lose weight to improve their fertility.)
The animal studies showed birth defects in rats as far as I remember. There can’t be a massive signal in humans or the years it’s been used for diabetes would have shown it in post marketing watch. That doesn’t mean it’s totally safe, more just that it’s not throwing up a massive issue like thalidomide or retinol type stuff. If you do want to get pregnant again wash off it fully as recommended
It’s cool that you researched these related hunger hormones.
No it wasn’t that direct, it was something a lot more tangentially related. They just kind of came up on the edge of something I was involved in a while back, I had some conversations with people and now they’re being used like this. So what we thought might happen does which is cool but alas none of us worked for NN, lol. Hard to explain without being too specific.
'gut-brain axis'
Oh now that IS a very interesting thing to work on. Almost every neurotransmitter found in the brain is also found in the gut. The types of nervous and endocrine tissues in the gut - it’s almost like a little diffuse brain in itself. Massively underfunded and under researched field but one I suspect has ties to all sorts of physical and mental ills.
@Stan gastric pain after moderate eating can be a sign of ulcers and gastric irritation. If you’re only eating small portions and still having it it might be worth getting your doc to look at your stomach (endoscopy is vile but I bet Americans get sedation for them..) some people find carbs give them heartburn as well, so play around with what you’re eating - try a while of low carb and more protein etc. remember things are in your stomach longer so anything that might have irritated you mildly before will now irritate you a lot more.
Carbs also spike insulin so eating predominantly carbs on wehocy is kind of working against it. Probably difficult if you’re away somewhere where you have less control over the food but when you’re home try a low carb approach for a week and see if it helps (nothing extreme, just stuff like a bit of chicken and some green veg for dinner.) don’t forget too that with food staying in the stomach longer you’ll be more prone to heartburn which can really hurt. 9kg isn’t to be sniffed at, keep going with it.
 
They could be malnourished, some people on weight loss drugs report struggling to eat enough and only managing to get in a few hundred calories per day. These are also people who've already repeatedly failed at dieting, so they might not know how to optimise the foods they are eating to get in enough vitamins and minerals.

I doubt many of them are getting regular blood tests to screen for deficiencies.
I remember couple of years ago someone mentioning on twitter that you should get a full check before starting a new diet and a lot of those health gurus got mad because "a doctor can't know my body better than me!" There are a ton of illnesses and deficiencies a person can have without ever noticing and if you start eating specific diets, you can activate something dormant that can kill you. For starters, you can have anemia and be obese.

I'll never forgive Ozempic for turning Anya Taylor-Joy from a cute, bright-eyed alien halfbreed into some frightening human-mantis-woman.
Wasn't that just buccal fat removal? She was thin to begin with so it didn't seem like she'd have needed Ozempic.
Maybe that was the name of the surgeon: Ozempic.
 
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