What is OZEMPIC doing to people's SKIN?

Cosmetic dermatologists say patients who have lost weight after taking semaglutide drugs aren't happy with the way their complexion looks

- SARAH LAING

Not so long ago, a Toronto makeup artist whispered a theory on set. They claimed that when a client sat in their chair, they could instantly tell if they had been taking Ozempic, the newly available in Canada Wegovy or some other semaglutide medication, by looking at their skin.

It was, they said, a change in the quality of the skin itself, beyond "Ozempic face," the term often used to describe the hollowed cheeks and prominent lines that can accompany rapid weight loss.

It isn't the first whisper about this from those who work up close with image-conscious public figures. "Colleagues on film shoots are gabbing about resorting to old-school techniques to deal with the thinner and looser skin that can come postOzempic but pre-surgical intervention," read a March article in the Ankler titled "How Ozempic Ate Awards Season" that quoted makeup artist Jesika Miller. She said that while Joan Crawford used to wear a clip at the back of her neck to cinch loose skin, now strategies include using face tape to lift sagging skin, or in a pinch, tying the hair back very, very tightly.

In a brave new world where research on the effects of these drugs is constantly emerging - everything from their potential to slow Parkinson's to a possible link to possible mental-health side effects -the Ozempic skin theory warranted an closer look.

So: Does taking a semaglutide medication do something to your skin's texture? "It's a very good question, and I don't know if I have all the answers," said Montreal cosmetic dermatologist Dr. Roni Munk. "It's a novel drug, and we're learning more and more all the time."

Munk does confirm that he's seeing patients on a daily basis who have lost a significant amount of weight in a short amount of time and are unhappy with the way the skin on their face looks.