Ozempic Body: Loose Skin After Weight Loss and Your Options
Published 2026-02-27 • Summer House Editorial Team
GLP-1 medications like Ozempic and Wegovy have produced meaningful weight loss for a large number of people — and for some, that weight loss has come with an unexpected consequence: loose, sagging skin that doesn't rebound the way skin does after gradual loss. If you've lost significant weight quickly and are wondering what to do about the skin, you're asking the right question, and the answers are more practical than you might think.
Why Rapid Weight Loss Affects Skin Differently
Skin has elastic properties — it can stretch and retract — but that elasticity has limits and is time-dependent. When weight is lost slowly, skin has time to contract gradually as the fat beneath it reduces. When weight is lost rapidly, particularly more than 20 to 30 pounds in a short period, the skin can't keep pace. The underlying scaffolding — fat and connective tissue — reduces faster than the skin can reorganize its collagen and elastin structure, leaving skin that hangs rather than retracts.
Age compounds this significantly. Younger skin (under 40) has considerably more collagen and elastin and retractile capacity than skin over 50. A 35-year-old who loses 40 pounds quickly will typically have better skin retraction than a 58-year-old with the same loss. This is not a reason not to lose the weight — the metabolic benefits are significant — but it does mean that older patients on GLP-1 medications should plan for skin management as part of their overall health strategy.
The 'Ozempic Face' Concern
'Ozempic face' refers specifically to facial volume loss associated with rapid weight loss on GLP-1 medications. The face loses fat along with the rest of the body, and facial fat is structurally important — it provides the scaffolding that keeps the face looking full and lifted. Rapid loss of this fat can cause the face to look gaunt, hollow, or aged more quickly than the body-weight change would suggest. Cheek hollowing, deepening nasolabial folds, and more visible bony prominence are common presentations.
The treatment approach for Ozempic face is the same as for age-related volume loss: strategic facial filler to restore volume in the areas where it's been lost. Cheeks, temples, and the midface are typically the priority. This is a treatment with immediate visible results and is appropriate once weight has stabilized — treating during active significant weight loss means the face is still changing, and filler placed now may look different in six months. Stability first, treatment second.
Body Skin Tightening Options
For the body — abdomen, inner thighs, upper arms, and inner knees are the most common areas — the non-surgical options are meaningful but have honest limits. Radiofrequency treatments (Morpheus8 for smaller areas, larger RF devices for the body) stimulate collagen remodeling and can produce visible tightening in areas of mild to moderate laxity. Multiple sessions are needed and results build over three to six months. For mild-to-moderate loose skin, this is a legitimate path.
Significant body skin laxity after major weight loss — the kind that creates hanging folds of skin — is a surgical problem. Body contouring surgery (abdominoplasty, arm lift, thigh lift) is the appropriate treatment for severe cases and produces results that non-surgical treatments cannot replicate. A good aesthetic provider will be honest about this distinction rather than overselling non-surgical options for cases that require surgery. Non-surgical and surgical approaches can also be combined: non-surgical for mild areas, surgical for the most significant.
FAQ
When should I start treating loose skin — during my weight loss or after?
After, in most cases. Treating loose skin during active significant weight loss is like painting a wall while it's still wet — the results won't hold because the underlying situation is still changing. Waiting until your weight has stabilized for at least three to six months gives treatments a stable foundation to work from and allows for a realistic assessment of what the skin has retracted on its own. Some patients find the laxity they were concerned about is significantly reduced after weight stabilizes.
Does skin tightening work the same way on body skin as on facial skin?
The same RF energy principles apply, but body skin is thicker and the treatment areas are larger, which affects both the energy settings and the number of sessions needed. Body RF treatments typically require more sessions than facial treatments for equivalent improvement — three to five sessions for the abdomen is a common protocol. Results are generally more modest per session than facial treatments because body skin laxity after major weight loss is often more extensive. Managing expectations realistically is important, and a candid consultation that distinguishes surgical from non-surgical candidacy is worth the time.
Need help now?
Book a body consultation at Summer House Medspa — we'll assess what's achievable non-surgically and be honest about when a surgical referral makes more sense.