Elizabeth Wellington | (TNS) The Philadelphia Inquirer
PHILADELPHIA — Five feet, two inches tall, Julia O’Reilly weighed 190 pounds, was prediabetic and had high blood pressure. Her only real exercise was running after her babies.
She met with her doctors, who began giving O’Reilly weekly Ozempic injections. She lost 50 pounds.
But once the weight came off, O’Reilly said, his face sank, his cheeks hollowed out and dark circles appeared under his eyes.
“The goal was to lose weight,” O’Reilly said, “so you wouldn’t look sunken and sickly.”
Those who use medications like Ozempic – whether for medical or cosmetic reasons – often find that weight loss leads to what has come to be known as the “Ozempic face.” The result: Medical spas are seeing an increase in requests from clients using medications like Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro and Zepbound.
“I didn’t want to radically change myself,” O’Reilly said. “But I wanted my face to match this best version of me.”
So, after consulting with the medical and aesthetic team at Center City med spa skin care clinic Body+Beauty Laboratoryshe decided that fillers were the best way to replace the youthful fullness she believed Ozempic had stolen from her face.
An old remedy for a new problem
According to a Gallup-up poll, 6% of American adults, or 15.5 million peoplereport using medications like Ozempic and Wegovy to lose weight. When they work as hoped, doctors say they curb appetite and cravings. The downside: depleted muscle mass leading to older faces.
“It’s all about protein,” says Dr. Marc Neff, medical director of Jefferson Health New Jersey Weight Loss Surgery Program. “Protein is important for skin elasticity, muscle tone and overall skin health. It’s really important that when people start taking these medications, they work with a dietitian to keep their protein levels high.
Beauty doctors have been using fillers based on synthetic hyaluronic acid – Restylane, Juvéderm, Sculptra, Belotero – for more than 20 years to plump and hydrate aging skin. When injected into the cheekbones, jawline and under the eyes, synthetic hyaluronic acid mimics the natural version, Mother Nature’s secret to dewy, fresh-looking skin.
Periodic injections have also helped cancer and HIV patients feel confident.
However, over the years, fillers have come under as much scrutiny as weight-loss medications. Too much can result in a plastic-looking face – see any reality TV star – not to mention bruising, itching and swelling. And then there’s the unfair pressure to look young all the time: the very fact that they exist sends a message to those who have chosen not to use fillers: growing old is not an option, whereas in reality it is our only viable choice.
For patients who have lost weight on new medications, it can also seem like an impossible deal with the evil beauty gods, or an unwinnable game. For many, it’s a game they’re willing to play.
“I deal with this issue every week,” said Sarah Sidiqian aesthetic nurse practitioner who sees approximately three “Ozempic face” patients per week at Body+Beauty Laboratoryversus once a month before weight loss drugs became popular. “They all want to regain the facial volume they have lost.”
A $4,000 fix
Before Linda Weller, 67, started using Mounjaro, her face, she says, was pretty good for her age. Yet after she lost 60 pounds in a year, it began to “feel like a mudslide” — even though her HbA1c level dropped and she was able to stop taking her blood pressure medication.
“I didn’t want to spend money on a makeover,” Weller said. “So I did my cheeks.”
“I feel good and I feel good,” Weller said.
Candice Reid, Registered Nurse and Owner of Mount Airy Med Spa Nurse Candiesaid she is also using more injectable hyaluronic acid, especially for clients over 40 who have lost weight.
In addition to hyaluronic injectables, Reid injects platelet-rich plasma, or PRPon clients’ cheeks and jawline to stimulate collagen growth. Collagen is one of the most important proteins produced by our body to prevent skin from sagging. Production slows as we reach our 30s, with dramatic declines in our 40s.
“You can’t know where you’re going to lose weight,” Reid said, “but you can restore volume to areas of the face that have been affected by fat loss.”
On a recent Monday afternoon, O’Reilly was ready to perk up. Five syringes of Restylane – totaling more than $4,000 – lined the medical counter. After cleaning O’Reilly’s face and numbing it, Sidiqi injected Restylane into each of O’Reilly’s temples for contour and under each of his cheekbones to lift them. Sidiqi injected Restylane into O’Reilly’s chin to round it out, then she plumped up her lips, but not too much because the exaggerated pout is gone.
No more dark circles. No more unwanted thinness. In less than an hour, O’Reilly had his younger self back. The results should last about a year.
“I like the way I look,” O’Reilly said. “I’m very happy.”
Will O’Reilly be back? She’s not sure. Looking young isn’t cheap. Like weight loss medications, fillers will need to be an integral part of her beauty regime if she wants to maintain her look. She is only 35 years old.
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