CELEBRITIES have been shelling out thousands on weight loss drugs, perhaps wanting to reclaim the physiques they once enjoyed in their youth.
A nutritionist has suggested those battling “Ozempic face” may have used high doses of slimming meds and after, their weight could have been “yo-yo’ing.”
“Ozempic face” has become a buzzy phrase in Hollywood, resulting from rapid weight loss that can cause sagging facial skin.
It is one of the possible side effects of using weight-loss medications with semaglutide or tirzepatide, which are sold under brand names including Ozempic, Wegovy, or Mounjaro.
Nutritionist Rania Batayneh, MPH and author of The One One One Diet, noted that some stars who may have used injections or pills could be facing this consequence.
“After severe caloric restriction using these drugs, some stars might feel conflicted about how their face looks,” Batayneh told The U.S. Sun.
“Sudden weight loss can result in a more dramatic, gaunt look.
“The fuller faces may have gone, and in comes a more hollowed one.
“Once they reach their goal weight, it may be too late to offset the consequences of Ozempic face.
“It can significantly affect skin texture and elasticity for some.
“If people decrease the weekly dosage or wean off Ozempic, the focus may shift to the face, and [people may] notice it getting too thin.”
Still, not everyone who takes the meds — famous or otherwise — has had major changes to their faces.
Batayneh listed which stars she thinks may have been hit and explained why some appear to have Ozempic face, while others do not.
SHARON’S HOLLOW SLIMDOWN
Sharon Osbourne, 71, has spoken out about losing 42 pounds using Ozempic after starting injections in 2022.
“You can lose so much weight, and it’s easy to become addicted to that, which is very dangerous,” Sharon told Daily Mail after stopping injections.
“Everything with weight with me was, ‘I want it now,'” she said on British talk show Loose Women in 2023.
Batayneh said Sharon “ended up with dramatic and significant Ozempic face.”
“She has a gaunt appearance and looks hollowed versus just not having a fuller face,” she explained.
“This is because of the rapid weight loss; she probably went on a high dose.
“This places a significant toll on skin texture and elasticity.”
SCOTT GETS GAUNT
Scott Disick, 40, started to appear gaunt in April, with fans concerned about his slim shape.
According to the Daily Mail, insiders claimed the Hulu star had used a weight loss drug to shed his “dad bod.”
“Scott started taking Ozempic because he had serious issues with his weight gain. This time last year, he saw himself as fat,” they claimed.
Scott and Sharon have probably been up and down for a long time with their weight.
Rani Batayneh
“He had gained a lot of weight and couldn’t stand seeing himself in video footage aired in the past couple of months.”
Though Scott has not confirmed his use of a weight loss drug, fans of The Kardashians noticed what appeared to be a box of Mounjaro in his fridge in an episode that aired in May.
“Scott looks to probably have Ozempic face because he may have lost the weight quickly,” claimed Batayneh.
“He may have been overeating or perhaps not been motivated.
“We publicly saw some of his challenges with alcohol consumption and maybe partying and possibly making the wrong choices.
“Scott and Sharon may have been up and down for a long time with their weight.
“These two’s weight was probably yo-yo’ing. As a consequence, it looks like they may have Ozempic face.”
WHOOPI & OPRAH’S NATURAL SHRINK
Whoopi Goldberg, 68, spoke about losing weight after turning to Mounjaro.
“I will tell you, I weighed almost 300 pounds when I made Till,” she said on The View in March, referring to her 2022 film.
“I had taken all those steroids, I was on all this stuff, and one of the things that’s helped me drop the weight is Mounjaro.”
Whoopi’s Ozempic face is less dramatic.
Rania Batayneh
Oprah Winfrey, 70, also spoke about her weight loss meds use in 2023.
“I had an awareness of weight-loss medications, but felt I had to prove I had the willpower to do it. I now no longer feel that way,” she told People.
“I was actually recommending it to people long before I was on it myself,” she added.
Oprah referred to Ozempic as a “maintenance tool.”
“Whoopi was that weight for quite a while,” said Batayneh.
“She gained 50 pounds in a year at one point.
“We don’t know her health conditions or if there was a necessity, but her weight loss has not resulted in a dramatic change to her appearance that would result in Ozempic face.
“Similarly, Oprah Winfrey carried her weight for a long time.
“She also probably looks good because she exercises and keeps up with her healthy lifestyle.”
KELLY’S GLOW-UP
Kelly Clarkson, 42, confirmed that she was pre-diabetic in 2023, which compelled her to lose weight.
She admitted to taking weight loss medication two years after a warning from her doctor.
“Mine is a different one than people assume, but I ended up having to do that too because my bloodwork got so bad,” she said during an interview with Whoopi.
“My heaviest, I was like 203 pounds. And I’m like 5’3″ and a half,” she said.
Batayneh claimed Kelly managed to avoid Ozempic face.
“Kelly had a very youthful, full face, so losing a little bit was, in her case, quite a nice consequence,” she said.
Who's taking GLP-1 medications?
A new survey by KFF has revealed that 1 in 8 adults has used a GLP-1 drug like Ozempic.
The survey found that half of these adults are still using a weight loss prescription.
Around 2 in 5 used the drugs to lose weight, while others used them for conditions like diabetes.
SUNNY NAILS IT
Sunny Hostin, 55, also admitted to using Mounjaro on The View.
She said that she wanted to lose some weight after gaining 40 pounds during the pandemic.
According to Batayneh, she also avoided the side effects of face-aging.
“Sunny might have started with a more youthful toned shape and just got herself a boost, but she is now toned,” she said.
SO WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE?
How, ultimately, do some stars avoid looking older while others get gaunt?
Batayneh revealed different factors that determine Ozempic face.
To help mitigate Ozempic face, people could take a smaller dose over an extended period.
Rania Batayneh
“When an Ozempic user has dropped weight, inches will have come off the waist, thighs, and everywhere,” she said.
“If stars have been carrying weight for longer, the weight loss may not reflect that more gaunt look.
What is food noise?
Many users of GLP-1 medications find that it does more than simply suppress appetite.
“People inject and do not have to worry about food because there is no food noise anymore,” Nutritionist Rania Batayneh, MPH, told The U.S. Sun.
The term “food noise” refers to an obsessive preoccupation with food, according to an article in the academic journal Nutrients.
People on GLP-1 medications report that it helps turn down those frequent or constant thoughts of food, which in turn leads them to eat less.
That, along with the medications’ appetite-suppressing effects, have been credited with allowing people who’ve struggled with losing weight to do so more easily.
“This would be because they have had a little more fullness in their face.
“Genetics, skincare, lifestyle factors, and yo-yo’ing with weight are also at play.”
“To help mitigate Ozempic face, people could take a smaller dose over an extended period,” explained Batayneh.
“This will slow the rate of weight loss and give the skin time to adapt.
“There is also resistance training, nourishing the skin with nutrients, eating healthy omegas, and taking antioxidants.
“It is important to adopt an optimal diet even though there are big restrictions on overall caloric intake.
“Saying that, everybody responds differently to weight loss medications.”
