There is a new trend in the US related to weight loss, and everybody is talking about it, including the rich and famous. However, one specific side effect associated with the trend needs to be further discussed: the Ozempic Face.
The Ozempic face is caused by Ozempic, a medication originally created to treat patients with type 2 diabetes. However, it has become a popular weight loss option. It is definitely effective, but the drug’s main component, semaglutide, causes the “Ozempic Face,” which sees a person’s skin lose its elasticity, making them look older within months.
Understanding Ozempic
Ozempic is a drug manufactured for people with type 2 diabetes. It works by increasing the levels of the hormone incretins, which aids insulin production when needed and reduces the liver’s production of glucose. Ozempic’s chief ingredient is semaglutide, which tricks the brain into believing the stomach is full even when it isn’t. This is what makes it a great weight loss drug.
Ozempic’s Similarity to Wegovy
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has endorsed Ozempic as a treatment for type 2 diabetes, not as a solution for weight reduction. In fact, recommending the drug to a patient without type 2 diabetes is illegal even though it happens way too. What many need to know is that Ozempic has a close cousin known as Wegovy, which is most likely what they are taking. The difference is almost unnoticeable because both drugs have similar chemical composition. However, while Ozempic was created to treat Type 2 Diabetes, Wegovy was developed and approved specifically for use in obese patients.
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Side Effects of Ozempic
While the FDA has indeed approved both medications, it is best to be cautious when dealing with them because abusing them can end very badly for those who do. The common side effects of Ozempic include “nausea, stomach pain, diarrhea, constipation, or vomiting,” however, many people who have used the drug have experienced far worse outcomes than stomach aches.
Repercussions of Abusing Ozempic and Wegovy
The two medications contain semaglutide, and abusing them can usually trigger severe changes in the intestine and digestion. These changes can eventually lead to things like pancreatitis, inability to absorb nutrients, and, in some cases, gastric, colon, or intestinal cancer.
Avoid Them on the Black Market
Desperate to get fitter, some people who can’t get a prescription from their doctors resort to purchasing Ozempic or Wegovy on the black market. What they don’t know or choose not to consider is that they might be buying a weakened or even different drug than they assumed they were buying.
A High-Risk Factor
Even people who are able to secure prescriptions for Ozempic from their doctors are not exempt from side effects. One of them includes what many now call the “Ozempic Face,” a nonfatal but negative side effect nobody wants to experience.
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More About the Ozempic Face
Ozempic Face refers to facial sagging or premature aging resulting from using Ozempic or Wegovy. According to an expert, these drugs trigger fast weight loss, which causes rapid loss of subcutaneous (under the skin) facial fat.
A Wrinkle in Time
According to an expert, the rapid loss of subcutaneous facial fat will not match the rate at which the overlying skin is reducing, leading to a “sagging, droopy and wrinkled appearance.” This loose skin is enough to make anyone look older than they really are. How much the drooping affects each person depends on their respective facial flexibility, meaning it affects some more than others.
An Ozempic Pandemic
Thanks to the drug’s widespread use as a weight loss tool, dermatologists have been seeing an increasing number of Ozempic faces, especially in big cities like New York. One expert even claimed to see at least one patient with an Ozempic face daily, highlighting how common it has become.
The Rich and Famous Who Have Used Ozempic
One Gallup survey has revealed that almost 16 million Americans have used injectable weight loss medications like Ozempic and Wegovy. That number includes celebrities and the ultra-rich, such as Elon Musk, Oprah Winfrey, Kelly Osbourne, Jessica Simpson, and Scott Disick, all of whom have had to deal with Ozempic face at some point or another.
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A Terrible Solution
Ozempic and Wegovy can indeed aid weight loss, but that is where the advantages stop. These drugs can also cause malfunctions inside the digestive tract and lead to deadly illnesses like pancreatitis and cancer. Also, when an individual stops taking them, about two-thirds of the weight they shed returns, and their face will never remain the same.
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