Injectable GLP-1 medications have changed everything about weight loss. From spurring major weight loss to captivating celebrity transformations, it’s clear that options like Wegovy and Mounjaro have had a huge impact. And while more people than ever are dropping weight, the results are sometimes leaving patients needing aesthetic fixes for loose skin post-weight loss. That’s where (the rather unkind) viral terms like Ozempic face and Ozempic breast have come into play.
We spoke with experts to learn more about the impact these medications have and what patients can do to fully meet their aesthetic weight-loss goals.
Featured Experts
- Elie Levine, MD is a board certified plastic surgeon based in New York
- Amy Sprole, MD is a board certified plastic surgeon based in Wichita, KS
- Brad Bengtson, MD is a board certified plastic surgeon based in Grand Rapids, MI
What Is ‘Ozempic Breast?’
When you’re looking to lose weight, chances are there are some areas where you don’t want to lose too much volume. Those areas, like the breast, butt and face, rely on volume to look youthful, plump and ‘perky.’ And when you lose weight quickly, like with GLP-1 medications, volume loss in these areas can be profound.
“A lot of people complain that when they lose weight, the lose weight in their chest,” New York plastic surgeon Eli Levine, MD explains. “And that’s an area where they didn’t necessarily want to lose weight. We don’t really have control over how we lose weight.”
Sudden loss of volume in the chest can cause deflated breasts and loose skin. “A lot of weight-loss patients tends to have poor soft tissue and very stretchy skin,” explains Grand Rapids, MI plastic surgeon Brad Bengtson, MD.
What to Do for Deflated Breasts
According to Wichita, KS plastic surgeon Amy Sprole, MD, it’s important for patients to have arrived at their goal weight before seeking a solution to Ozempic breast.
“Before any kind of breast augmentation, you want to be at a stable weight for about six months,” Dr. Sprole says. “The idea is that we want to minimize any weight gain or weight loss following a surgery in order for the outcome to be optimal.”
Dr. Levine adds that he is often urging patients to take their time before embarking on a breast augmentation journey.
“If someone loses a fair bit of weight and I perform a breast lift and it looks spectacular, but they continue to go on to lose another 20 to 30 pounds, it’s not going to look bad by any means, but it’s not going to look as good,” Dr. Levine explains. “It can sometimes take a few months for your body to adjust to a new sustainable weight and maximize nutrition as well, and that can impact how long it takes for you to heal.”
The Solution for ‘Ozempic Breast’
Everyone loses weight differently, which means that there isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach to solving Ozempic breast. According to Dr. Levine, mild skin laxity can be addressed with noninvasive and minimally invasive treatments, which many patients prefer. But for those with major weight loss and resulting skin laxity, surgical solutions are the best answer.
“There are also those who benefit from more involved procedures like breast augmentation or breast lift,” Levine adds. “Those are amazing procedures, but they’re by no means lunchtime treatments.”
Additionally, those procedures have advanced to produce better and better results by offering more support to the breast.
“I would say that 10-15% of first-time augmentation patients, particularly weight-loss patients, will use an internal bra of the material called gal flex,” explains Dr. Bengtson. “Which is a natural protein. It’s a cool, kind of futuristic product that actually turns into your body’s own collagen, and it’s really vital and useful for patients that need some sort of support.”
