What Is Ozempic Butt? I Asked a Plastic Surgeon About This Weight-Loss Side Effect

A few months ago, we looked into Ozempic face, a phenomenon that happens when a decrease in fat creates hollowness in the eyes, cheek area and temples, creating a more skeletal and aged appearance in folks taking Ozempic or other GLP-1 medications for weight loss. As it turns out, a similar thing can happen to your rear end—it’s called Ozempic butt. I asked board-certified plastic surgeon Dr. Joubin Gabbay about what causes Ozempic butt, how to treat it and whether or not it’s preventable.

Dr. Joubin Gabbay, MD, is a board-certified plastic surgeon and Persana Verified Physician with a private practice in Beverly Hills, and clinical chief of the Division of Plastic Surgery at Cedars-Sinai. His study of fat-derived stem cells in plastic surgery resulted in over thirty published articles and presentations at numerous prominent national and international events. He has been featured in Allure, The Hollywood Reporter and more.

Dr. Gabbay tells me, “Ozempic butt is the development of loss of volume and drooping in the buttocks which can occur quite rapidly after taking GLP-1medications, such as Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro and others. He explains that this is the result of two issues: loss of volume that comes with losing subcutaneous fat and significant looseness of the skin, causing a droopy, saggy appearance. “Often, with this rapid weight loss, the skin’s natural elasticity does not have enough time to spring back into a tight position, or the skin simply does not have enough elasticity to keep up with the loss of fat underneath it. Often, after years of being pushed and stretched out by all of the fat underneath, the skin of the buttock simply gets stretched to the point that it inevitably will hang with weight loss.”

He notes that it does seem that some people are more susceptible to this drooping. “That may be due to natural differences in skin elasticity from some compared to others or due to prior trauma to the skin, including stretch marks—which are basically just torn deep layers of skin,” he says. “Some people simply have loose. thin or poor quality skin to begin with and may be more prone to developing looseness after weight loss.”

“There's no real science behind this, but the best hope for preventing Ozempic butt is to be careful and gradual with your weight loss, rather than allowing for a rapid drop in weight and subcutaneous fat,” Dr. Gabbay says, adding that it can also be helpful to ensure that you’re taking care of and moisturizing your skin.

He also stresses the importance of making sure to keep you protein and vitamin levels well supported, as patients on GLP-1 medications are often slightly malnourished. “During times of starvation, the body will preferentially, send calories and nutrients to your vital organs like your heart and brain,” he says. “The skin may suffer as a result.”

First things first: Prevention, he says, is always the best, meaning it’s crucial to be mindful in the way you lose weight and in preparing your skin for the process. If Ozempic butt does happen, he says the best way to treat it is to restore some of the subcutaneous fat that was there in the first place. “The gold standard for this is to take fat from somewhere else in the body with liposuction and transfer it into the butt to restore that loss of volume,” he explains. “The problem is that many patients who have Ozempic butt have lost so much fat that there really is not a good donor site to take from for fat transfer. In those cases, some may try to use nonsurgical injectable products like Sculptra or Renuva to add some volume.” Additionally, there are other, more aggressive surgical options including a surgical buttock lift or lower back lift that can remove some of that excess skin and lift up the butt.