When Should I Start my Ozempic Face Treatment?

“Ozempic face” is a term that refers to the secondary effects of medication driven rapid weight loss on the face. After the transformative effects of GLP-1 weight loss, the face can appear aged and hollow from a loss of volume and loose skin. ⁽¹⁾ At Austin Plastic Surgeon, we take a proactive approach to preventing and treating Ozempic face. Our focus is optimizing your weight loss journey to enhance how you look and feel. We believe that you should look as good as you feel. We address Ozempic face before it happens, beginning with your customized weight loss plan. Ozempic face, or facial aging secondary to rapid weight loss doesn’t have to just happen. There are ways to minimize the effects of weight loss on the face, but that means being proactive during your weight loss journey. To explore your options on weight loss and treating post-weight-loss Ozempic face, submit our online contact form or call our offices directly:

About Ozempic Face & Treatment

There are many positive, life-changing effects of using a GLP-1 medication. However, the rapid weight loss can cause unintended, secondary effects in the face. “Ozempic face” describes facial changes that occur after significant, rapid weight loss. When overall weight decreases quickly, facial fat volume drops and skin elasticity diminishes, leading to an aged, sunken appearance. Typically, the greater the weight loss, the more the symptoms of Ozempic face will be apparent. ⁽²⁾ The rate at which you lose weight can also be a contributing factor in the way our race responds to weight loss. There is also some evidence about changes in the skin itself during this rapid weight loss so the goal is to maximize your skin health to maintain a natural healthy rejuvenated appearance during and after your journey.

The combination of issues that create a hollowed Ozempic face include:

To treat the many symptoms creating Ozempic face, we use a multi-faceted approach to optimize results. There are many minimally-invasive, non-surgical, and surgical treatments that address skin structure changes, lost volume, and diminished elasticity. By using a combination of advanced technologies for a rejuvenated, youthful appearance, the face will match the body’s new, sleeker silhouette.

When Should I Start my Ozempic Face Treatment?

At Austin Plastic Surgeon, we use a proactive approach to help you reach your weight loss goals and treat the effects of Ozempic face before it happens. Personally on my weight loss journey if I could go back in time and change anything I would have started my treatments sooner. I started about the third month into my weight loss journey. I wish I had started the first month. Like many of our patients I was skeptical if I was truly going to lose weight and maintain my results so it was not a focus. Now that we know the GLP-1 medications work it is important to build out the entire plan for our patients. Our focus is supporting you throughout your body transformation so you look and feel great from day one. Your customized plan will include preventative measures to minimize the overall effects of Ozempic face and then treat any facial and skin issues that may develop. The goal is around health, you are making changes to your overall health, that has to include your skin health.

Losing weight at a gradual, sustainable speed will provide your skin with time to adjust. Other supportive measures include staying well hydrated, using targeted skin care and sunscreen daily, and eating protein. It also means focusing on skin health, specifically collagen stimulation, elastin growth, and structural support.

Once you reach and maintain your goal weight, your personalized plan will treat any lingering facial effects so that your enhanced body is cohesive. There is a wide range of options to sculpt the face and address the symptoms causing Ozempic face. During your consultation, we will take the time to understand your issues and facial goals and customize your treatment plan with state-of-the-art techniques that will optimize your results.

At Austin Plastic Surgeon, we have lived this journey. Dr. Johnny Franco believes in taking a unique approach. Many providers want to overfill the face to treat Ozempic face, while so many of our patients worked so hard to decrease the facial fullness. The goal is not to restore the volume you lost, it is to create a structured, healthy, sculpted appearance that fits your new lifestyle.

Ideally, the best time to start treating Ozempic face is as you begin your weight loss journey. This can be small movements in the correct direction such as skincare, or it can be more advanced treatments such as Sofwave to help with collagen stimulation. This depends largely on the amount of weight you plan to lose, the current status of your skin health, and your ultimate goal.

However, there are several other optimal periods where we can address it. At a minimum, we strongly encourage our patients to start some type of skin health treatment by month three. It is important to remember there are several phases of skin health during your weight loss journey. There is the preventative phase which starts before you ever lose a pound, the active phase, treatment phase and the maintenance phase.

Preventive Phase

This is starting prior to losing any weight or the same day of your weight loss journey. This is taking the same approach to your skin health as you do to your weight loss:

Active Phase

This is where we are actively losing weight. This is the biggest missed opportunity in preventing Ozempic Face. Patients and providers tend to be very passive in this phase. This is where we should absolutely be treating patients. To wait on your weight will lead to the need for more treatments in the long run. As long as you are still losing weight you are still in this active phase and we need to continue to actively treat.

Treatment Phase

Once patients have reached their goal weight, now we need to help them reach their goal appearance. We want our patients to look as good as they feel.

Non-Invasive Options

Minimally Invasive Options

Surgical Options

Many of these options are enhanced by the treatments done in the active phase.

Maintenance Phase

This is once patients are at a great place both with their weight and appearance. The GLP-1 medications have changed how we see skin health, aesthetics and facial aging. We have so many young patients that have mature issues. We want to help them maintain their results not for 6 or 12 months, but for the next 80 or 100 years of their life. We, for the first time ever, have the ability to not only help patients look better, but feel better, to not only live longer, but live better.

Skin Health

Benefits

Post-weight loss facial treatment will rejuvenate your face and align its appearance with your enhanced, slimmer body. Patients enjoy firmer, tighter skin and structural facial volume that is balanced with new body proportions.

Candidates

The aged, sunken appearance of Ozempic face is caused by the loss of facial fat and skin elasticity. Candidates see beautiful facial improvements after experiencing the following symptoms:

Non-Surgical Treatments

Non-surgical, minimally-invasive facial rejuvenation techniques require little downtime and produce beautiful results. These treatments resurface the skin and stimulate collagen production to enhance skin quality and elasticity, creating a tighter, glowing appearance. Non-surgical treatments have long-lasting results, but they are not permanent and may need touch-ups to preserve effects long-term.

Dermal Fillers

Dermal fillers are injectables that quickly restore lost structure and strategic filling to lift and contour the face for a firmer, youthful appearance. Fillers are specially formulated to target concerns such as wrinkles or volume loss.

BOTOX®

BOTOX® softens fine lines and wrinkles by limiting facial contractions. The tightening effects are noticeable after a few days and last for three to four months.

RF Microneedling

RF Microneedling is a skin tightening treatment that promotes collagen production. Vivace® and Morpheus8® use advanced technology to simulate deep tissue by applying radiofrequency to the skin through microneedles. Typically, a series of three to four treatment sessions renews and tightens skin with the refreshed results lasting one to two years.

Sofwave™

Sofwave™ treats skin laxity using Synchronous Ultrasound Parallel Beam (SUPERB™) technology to gently heat under the skin and initiate collagen production. It treats loss of elasticity deep within the skin, so the rejuvenated results will be visible after a few months and last up to 18 months.

Renuvion®

Renuvion® uses radiofrequency energy and cold helium plasma to tighten sagging skin from the inside out. The stimulation creates collagen remodeling deep beneath the surface of the skin. Typically, the full tightened effects will be visible within three to six months and last for several years.

QuantumRF

QuantumRF distributes bipolar fractional radiofrequency underneath the skin to reduce localized fat and tighten skin tissue by stimulating collagen production. The firmer, smoother skin will be visible after a week and the full results will be visible after several months. The tightened results can last for two to five years.

Avava®

The Avava® Laser uses precise high-energy light pulses to simulate collagen production. The fractional, non-ablative technology treats skin laxity from deep within without damaging the skin’s surface. Enhancements can be seen after the first session and full effects after a series of two to three sessions. The rejuvenated results last for a year or two.

Liquid Facelift

A liquid facelift is a complete strategy to rejuvenate your face without the downtime of surgery. It applies a unique combination of several minimally-invasive techniques to address skin laxity and volume loss. Results and longevity will vary depending on your specific combination of treatments.

Surgical Procedures

Surgical refinement can address severe Ozempic face symptoms with beautiful, long-lasting results. While there is slightly more downtime after a surgical procedure, the results will be more permanent and require less touch-ups than non-surgical treatments. Any incisions will be artfully placed so scars will be hidden or barely visible.

Surgical options include:

MyEllevate®

MyEllevate redefines the jawline with the minimally-invasive ICLED® Surgical Suture System that supports and tightens the structures for a smoother jawline without the down time of a traditional neck or facelift. The smoother, defined results will be visible after the swelling subsides and will last for 5 or more years.

Facial fat transfer

A facial fat transfer is a procedure that uses the body’s own fat to restore facial volume. It uses liposuction to remove fat from another area (often the abdomen or thighs), sterilizes it, and then injects it into the face. Some of the transferred fat will be resorbed by the body. The remaining fat will develop a blood supply and then remain permanently in the face. The natural, smoother results take three to six months to be fully apparent as the fat becomes established but will last for several years.

Facelift & Neck Lift

Facelifts and neck lifts will create a more defined jawline and restore the neck and facial contours.

Your experienced surgeon repositions deep facial tissues and tightens excess, sagging skin for firmer, more youthful looking facial appearance. The fully refreshed results will develop over several months and last for 10 to 15 years. Novel new techniques such as preservation deep plane facelifts and combining these with energy devices, regenerative products have changed how we think about facial surgery. We have so many young patients looking at surgical options, as they want natural results that are not overfilled, but that are going to make a meaningful difference and last for years to come. It is important to maintain your weight if you want to maintain your results.

Lip Lift

A lip lift enhances definition and restores youthful volume to the lips. It treats the appearance of a thinner or lengthened lip that develops with the loss of facial volume. Your surgeon gently removes a tiny portion of skin below the nose and lifts the lip upwards. This naturally improves the lip shape and facial balance without adding the bulk of fillers. The restorative effects of a lip lift will be slightly visible immediately, and your full, harmonious outcome will settle and become visible in a month or two. The lip lift enhancement will last for about 7 to 10 years.

Blepharoplasty

Known as an eyelid lift, blepharoplasty is a procedure that enhances the appearance of eyes. This procedure tightens sagging skin and wrinkles, creating a refreshed appearance. Your surgeon will remove and reposition skin around the upper and lower eyelids. The smoother, refreshed results are noticeable immediately, with full effects settling in after a few months. The rejuvenated effects of blepharoplasty last for 10 to 15 years or more.

Results

We are here to support you throughout your weight loss transformation. With a customized treatment plan, your body will look as good as it feels. By maintaining a healthy lifestyle and a stable weight, the effects of your Ozempic face treatment will be long-lasting and/or permanent depending on the specific techniques applied.

Personal Consultation

Your total body transformation begins with a personal consultation. During your consultation, we discuss your aesthetic goals, lifestyle, health history, desired longevity of results, and more to create a comprehensive treatment plan. We will include recommendations to promote skin quality and treat the effects of Ozempic face once your weight has stabilized. To explore the wide range of treatment options and learn what is best for you, schedule your personal consultation by submitting our online contact form or calling our offices directly:

Corresponding Procedures

For a comprehensive body rejuvenation and to address skin laxity issues in other areas, Ozempic face treatments can be combined with other body enhancements. Commonly paired are breast lifts and augmentation, tummy tucks, butt lifts, and body contouring. During your consultation, we will discuss your whole body needs to create a complete treatment plan that produces cohesive, natural-looking results.

Cost of Ozempic Face Treatment in Austin & San Antonio, TX

The cost of Ozempic face treatment will vary depending on the specific techniques applied. You will receive a detailed price quote within your customized treatment plan. We are pleased to make treatment more accessible with many different financing options available.

To learn more about your transformation options, schedule a consultation by submitting our online contact form or calling our offices directly:

FAQ

References

1. Daneshgaran G, Shauly O, Gould DJ. “Ozempic Face” in Plastic Surgery: A Systematic Review of the Literature on GLP-1 Receptor Agonist Mediated Weight Loss and Analysis of Public Perceptions. Aesthetic Surgery Journal Open Forum. 2025;7. doi:10.1093/asjof/ojaf056
2. Rao S, Midura I, Mangual KPS, et al. Skin Impacts and Tradeoffs of GLP-1 Therapy: Improved Patient-Reported Outcomes of Inflammatory Skin Disease in the Era of “Ozempic Face.” Dermatology and Therapy. Published online August 11, 2026. doi:10.1007/s13555-026-01882-z