After having her first child, New York City-based internist and longevity specialist Dr. Amanda Kahn used a GLP-1 drug to lose the stubborn baby weight. Several years later, dealing with a bit of loose skin on her arms, she went to plastic surgeon Darren Smith for a minimally invasive tightening treatment called BodyTite, which uses radiofrequency internally and externally.
While Kahn was on the GLP-1 bandwagon earlier than most, her story has become the norm for those using weight loss drugs, finding their skin is looser and their face is more gaunt, creating a wealth of opportunity across the beauty ecosphere. Users, expected to number 30 million in the United States by 2030 according to J.P. Morgan Research, are turning to a slew of noninvasive treatments and a growing crop of skin care products that promise to address the changes to both the body and face.
Although losing a mass amount of weight, especially rapidly, often results in skin laxity, GLP-1 drugs cause an even greater impact, some experts say. “The change to the epidermis and dermis is distinct. It’s actually specific to those anatomic layers [of the skin],” said plastic surgeon and founder of Dr. Few Skincare Julius Few, who also started the post-bariatric plastic surgery program at Northwestern University.
The impact of the drugs on the skin translates in several different ways beyond just laxity, which causes more prominent wrinkles and skin sagging. According to Few, the skin loses hydration, collagen and elastin, leaving it with a rubber band-like feel. Additionally, he says some users experience rosacea and increased pigmentation. “One of the factors that seems to be affected by GLP-1s is a cytokine that actually protects the skin from UV damage,” he said, “so these drugs make the skin more sun sensitive.”
Smith said the skin can undergo further harm, as many are often undernourished thanks to the decrease in appetite from the drugs. However, experts say there are ways to avoid some of the side effects.
“The most important thing to minimize the negative effects of significant weight loss is to do it slowly. Patients should only lose one to two pounds a week,” said Paul Jarrod Frank, a Manhattan-based cosmetic dermatologist. “They should maintain a very high protein content so they don’t lose muscle and take multivitamins.”
Experts say this phenomenon, often referred to as “Ozempic face,” though Few is now referring to it as “GLP-1 face” and “GLP-1 skin” given the proliferation of drugs now, has introduced a gap for an entirely new beauty category.
For starters, new topicals are emerging from brands including Dr. Few Skincare and Image Skincare, which are launching products developed for and clinically tested on consumers who use GLP-1 drugs.
Dr. Few was inspired to formulate his latest, DermaReverse, $300, after recognizing the rubber band-like effect he was finding during plastic surgery among this cohort. “I noticed that I had to remove more skin than I normally would have,” he said, adding that their recovery time was also slower than in patients not on the drug.
Dr. Few DermaReverse
DermaReverse is made up of a patent-pending complex that includes bioavailable retinoic acid, peptides and botanical antioxidants. According to Few, this mix allows for deeper penetration and triggers the body to build its own growth factors supporting collagen and elastin production. The product’s split-phase placebo-controlled study showed that subjects and two observers found the skin to be statistically improved based on a 13-point assessment; improvements were shown across skin laxity, redness, pigmentation and overall appearance.
Image Skincare is also carving out space in this category with its latest launch, Vol.u.lift GLP-1 4D Skin Rebound Complex, $134, which uses bakuchiol, L-ornithine amino acid, hyaluronic acid and proprietary exosome technology that combines antioxidants ectoin, vitamin C and astaxanthin-rich micro-algae. The goal is to address the “4 Ds” of GLP-1 users: deflation, deep wrinkles, dehydration and density.
Image Skincare Vol.u.lift GLP-1 4D Skin Rebound Complex
According to Image Skincare co-owner Dr. Marc Ronert, the efficacy of the product relies on the exosome technology, which acts as a vehicle for the actives to penetrate the deepest layers of the skin impacted by laxity. For Ronert, there’s potential for a lot more.
“You can really expand this as a whole new category. The body is certainly next,” he said. “You have significant changes in volume-loss [on the] stomach, arms, legs, so that’s a logical step. We can pretty much create a whole skin care line around this.”
Since it’s early days for these new products, the question remains how the consumers will respond, particularly when it comes to how the products are named and packaged. Will they want the term GLP-1 right on the label?
“You just have to be careful that the terminology is not going to be a turnoff,” said Circana senior vice president, global beauty industry adviser Larissa Jensen.
However, brands innovating in the space think it will be a draw. “In the near-term future, you’re going to see more products that are specifically branded for those skin conditions and marketed in that way,” said Ronert, pointing to how Image opted to create a product that clearly stated GLP-1 and used packaging that is inspired by the prescription boxes that the drugs come in.
Other brands are shifting their messaging to discuss how their products could be beneficial for GLP-1 users, rather than formulating new products. For example, dermatologist and founder of Skorr Skin Anetta Reszko recently launched Glow, $685, a multimodality device that uses microcurrent, radiofrequency, LED light and more. A key marketing point has focused on how the device is a fit for someone on a weight loss journey given its collagen- and muscle-boosting benefits.
Skorr Glow
“You target the epidermis, dermis and the muscle underneath, so it’s a very comprehensive approach,“ she said of the device, which can be used on the face and body. “[The device] increases the bulk of the muscle and the resting tone of the muscle.“
Additionally, brands like DefenAge, known for its use of regenerative molecules called defensins, are touting the benefits of their hero ingredient for GLP-1 users. “[Defensins] stimulate the LGR 6 stem cell, make new basal cells and new skin, but also defend against inflammation,“ said Beverly Hills plastic surgeon Gregory Keller.
While there’s now a slew of products, doctors say these topical approaches aren’t going to cut it for everyone, particularly those who have lost a significant amount of weight. For those somewhere in the middle, there’s BodyTite, the treatment Kahn opted for. For others experiencing more severe laxity, there’s tummy tucks and face lifts.
In addition, providers and medical spas are seeing an uptick in certain treatments for those looking for a greater change. Many are turning to existing noninvasive treatments, like Emsculpt Neo amd Morpheus8, and slightly more invasive treatments that require incisions like BodyTite and Renuvion.
While these treatments aren’t new, doctors say the category is growing. “This new category of patient has emerged, which is the patient who never would have gone to a plastic surgeon [before,]” Smith said.
Skinney MedSpa founder and aesthetician Marisa Martino also reports an uptick in patients seeking dermal fillers, Sculptra, Ultherapy and radiofrequency microneedling.
“It’s an evolving aesthetic need, and as practitioners, we’re already adapting our protocols and creating targeted treatment plans for post-GLP-1 body contouring and facial restoration,” said Skinney Medspa medical director Carlos Rodriguez.
According to Smith, these protocols are becoming more multifaceted to include several of the above treatments, as most patients aren’t looking to target just one certain stubborn area, but are experiencing the side effects all over.
However, the impacts on the skin aren’t all negative. In fact, when GLP-1s were first introduced, doctors were studying them to treat chronic inflammatory skin conditions, psoriasis in particular. “The data on autoimmune skin conditions is very promising. That’s an area we’re going to see more talk about treating,” said Few, predicting that the market of products for these users will grow given the increased benefits.
Kahn added: “Even at low doses [GLP-1s] are incredibly potent anti-inflammatory drugs. I’m seeing people whose rosacea is getting better, inflammatory skin conditions, psoriasis, even keratosis pilaris.”
Celebrity aesthetician Joanna Czech also said that many clients are reporting that their acne has reduced while on the medication.
Doctors and aestheticians are becoming increasingly aware of the impacts to the skin and are therefore providing more concrete advice to patients who are going on these drugs to prevent as much skin and body damage as possible.
For example, Czech has an entire protocol she recommends to clients, including weekly facial massage to stimulate the muscles, increased weight lifting and higher protein diets to deter muscle loss, and red light therapy to boost overall skin health.
Aside from the physical changes caused by the drugs, users are also undergoing emotional changes that have impacted how they are spending. Data from Circana shows that users are over-indexing with spending in several areas, some directly related to weight loss like wearable devices for tracking their health metrics and others like fashion and beauty.
“Within beauty, you see cosmetics, specifically lip products, skin care, hair styling, women’s fragrance, but then you also see things like jeans and jackets [over-indexing among GLP-1 users],” Jensen said. “It’s showing a consumer who’s feeling good about herself, and she’s getting out there.”
Additionally, Jensen said certain ingredients that are trending generally in the industry are also popular for GLP-1 users, specifically hyaluronic acid which could provide a plumping benefit to dehydrated, more deflated skin.
While the beauty industry is just beginning to see these shifts, in terms of products, treatments and shopping habits, experts say it will only broaden, particularly with the launch of Eli Lilly’s pill version which is in the final stages of testing.
“Within the next 12-to-18 months, we’re going to find that roughly 40-plus percent of Americans are on a GLP-1,” Few said.
Jensen added: “We’re only at the beginning stages of what this is going to be. There’s so much potential with where this could go.”
