Celebrity nutritionist Rose Ferguson has revealed that more of her clients are ‘freaking out’ about developing a so-called ‘Ozempic face’ from weight loss drugs.
The 49-year-old former model, who is close friends with Kate Moss and has 116,000 followers on Instagram, says she has had a wave of people coming to her concerned about their faces being transformed by drugs such as Ozempic and Wegovy.
Both medications contain semaglutide, which is not a targeted drug and as such causes fat loss not only around the stomach and thighs, but all over the body, including the face.
It works by mimicking the effects of a hormone called glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), which is released by the intestines after eating and sends a message to the brain that a person is full.
Although Ozempic is approved in Britain for type 2 diabetes, it can be prescribed ‘off-label’ as a weight loss medication.
Former model turned nutritionist Rose Ferguson, 49, says a wave of people have come to her concerned about their faces being transformed by drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy
Diet medications such as Ozempic and Wegovy contain semaglutide, which is not a targeted drug and causes fat loss around the entire body, including the face
Wegovy and Ozempic work by causing the body to produce a hormone called GLP-1, which is released naturally from the intestines after meals.
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In recent months, celebrities taking diet medications containing semaglutide or the like have appeared thin, with sunken eyes and sagging skin.
Celebrities who have developed an ‘Ozempic face’, either because they have taken such drugs or because of other weight loss methods, include John Goodman, Robbie Williams, Scott Disick and Sharon Osbourne.
Now Ferguson has reported that more women are coming to her for advice on how to get off such weight-loss drugs, fearing that the drug could affect their appearance.
Speak with The timesFerguson said: ‘There was a lot of negativity about Ozempic a few months ago, so now quite a few people are panicking.
“The Ozempic face didn’t go down too well.”
She added that she was concerned about people who are not necessarily overweight using Ozempic for aesthetics rather than weight loss.
“It’s a very complex relationship for a lot of people, and I’m not necessarily sure that Ozempic can be helpful in that area.”
Ferguson said most people can lose weight by eating healthier, including good fats, increasing their water intake, smoking and drinking less and taking fewer medications.
She said she wants to support people who want to stop taking Ozempic, which can have the side effect of regaining weight after the dose is stopped.
Dr. Smita Ramanadham, a plastic surgeon in New Jersey, further explained the phenomenon of ‘Ozempic face’ to DailyMail.com: ‘Ozempic face is essentially the same features we see when patients have rapid or regular weight loss.
‘We see a loss of volume in the face, and as we lose fat in the face we see signs such as the cheeks becoming more sunken, sagging skin and a general hollowing out of the facial features.
“Sometimes it can actually make a person look older because the fat on our cheeks gives us a more youthful appearance.”
Fans shared their concerns over whether Sharon (pictured in 2020) was ‘sick’ after her third weight loss after taking Ozempic, as her face was visibly less plump
John Goodman, 71, is an example of an “Ozempic face,” or how the face changes after rapid weight loss, experts said, because of the deflated appearance of his cheeks and his sunken eyes. They also indicated more wrinkles on his face
![Oh! Robbie Williams, 49, has revealed his two stone weight loss is down to 'something like Ozempic' and admitted he has gone from 13lbs to 13lbs [88.5kg] to 12th 1 pound [76.7kg]](https://nybr.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/1716643423_162_Ozempic-face-is-NOT-going-down-well-with-growing-numbers.jpeg "'Ozempic face' is 'NOT going down well', with growing numbers of women 'more and more worried' about side effects of weight-loss drug, nutritionist Rose Ferguson reveals 34")
Robbie Williams revealed he lost 25 pounds with Ozempic (left in 2013 and right last year). Surgeons said the more pronounced lines on his face and the hollowing of the cheeks were signs of an Ozempic face.
Dr. Sue Decotiis, a weight loss expert who has prescribed Ozempic to thousands of patients, added that weight loss looks more dramatic in people with longer faces because of the way the skin is stretched.
She cited the example of actor John Goodman, whose face has looked drastically less plump since losing weight.
Dr. Ramanadham said, “He hasn’t been in the news anywhere on Ozempic, so I don’t know if that’s that.
“But even with just weight loss, you see more lines, more wrinkles and more deflating in his face as he loses weight, compared to when he was heavier and his face was fuller.
“These changes are very typical of overall weight loss, regardless of whether weight-loss medications have been used.”
The 71-year-old has lost 200 pounds in more than a decade, which he credits to eating smaller portions, taking a daily walk with his dogs and, at one point, cutting sugar and alcohol from his diet.
He did not say he used Ozempic, which is manufactured by Novo Nordisk.
Pointing to the example of singer Robbie Williams, Dr Ramanadham said, “You see a hollow under the eyes and cheeks and more wrinkles appear due to loss of volume. With Robbie you see the immediate results of weight loss.’
Ozempic is said to cause a number of other side effects, including digestive problems, fatigue and muscle loss.
Cosmetic surgeons said they have also seen increasing requests for skin laxity treatments from those who have developed an ‘Ozempic face’.
Dr. Dr Raj Thethi of the Yorkshire Skin Center said: ‘The Post-Ozempic Makeover is really something,’ says Dr Raj Thethi of the Yorkshire Skin Centre, which has seen a surge in requests for skin laxity treatments.
“Patients want solutions for the loss of volume in the front of the face, the hollowing around the eyes and cheeks, and the loose skin on the body.”
In London, Esther Fieldgrass, owner of the EF Medispa clinics, said: ‘There has been a huge increase in the number of women using Ozempic seeking treatments for facial volume loss.
‘Requests for under-eye tear trough fillers in our clinics have increased by 70% in the past year alone.’
However, medical experts believe that Ozempic may potentially have health benefits beyond weight loss.
Earlier this month, groundbreaking research showed that semaglutide can reduce the risk of dying from a heart attack or stroke.
The breakthrough, presented at the European Congress on Obesity in Venice, is being hailed as the most important development in heart disease since statins in the 1990s.
Semaglutide is the first of a new generation of drugs that suppress appetite by mimicking the hormone GLP-1.
It was initially used for diabetes under the brand name Ozempic before being repurposed as the weight-loss drug Wegovy.
Experts believe that the drug’s benefits extend beyond just weight loss. Research is currently underway into diseases such as cancer, multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and kidney disease.
