Dr. Jennifer Salsberg in Elle Canada: Navigating Facial Changes After GLP-1 Weight Loss

The conversation around GLP-1 medications — Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro, and others — has shifted quickly. What began as a discussion about metabolic health and weight management has become a much broader one, encompassing the unexpected ways these medications can change how my patients look and feel about themselves.

I was recently featured in Elle Canada discussing exactly this: the facial changes that can sometimes accompany rapid GLP-1 weight loss, why they happen, and what patients can do about them. I wanted to share a few of the threads from that conversation here, for patients who are working through these questions themselves.

Why the face changes

When weight loss happens quickly — and GLP-1s can produce dramatic results in months rather than years — the face can undergo unanticipated changes. The deep and superficial fat pads that give the midface its structure diminish, leading to a gaunt appearance, and the skin quality changes, becoming more lax and dull. The result is hollowing in the cheeks and temples, a more visible jawline, and an overall appearance that can read as tired or aged, even in younger patients. Some have described the cumulative effect as compressing several years of facial aging into a matter of months.

This isn't a flaw of the medication. It's a predictable consequence of rapid weight loss, combined with the natural decline in collagen and skin elasticity that comes with aging.

A whole-person approach

What I most wanted to come through in the Elle Canada piece was the importance of treating the patient, not just the symptom. I was in conversation with Sandra Elia of Obesity Matters, and we both kept coming back to the same idea: aesthetic care during a weight loss journey should be guided by what the patient actually wants and feels — not by pressure to "fix" something. The right time to consider treatment, the right combination of options, and even the decision to do nothing at all are all valid outcomes of a thoughtful consultation.

That principle matters to me in every consultation I do. Weight loss is hard, deeply personal work, and the emotional dimension of seeing yourself in the mirror differently is something I take seriously.

What this looks like in practice at AvenueMD

For patients on a GLP-1 journey who do choose to address facial changes, my approach typically combines biostimulatory treatments (which support the skin's own collagen production over time) with hyaluronic acid injectables (which restore volume and support in key areas more immediately). The goal is always restoration of natural facial structure and continuing to look like oneself — never overcorrection.

If you're navigating these changes yourself, the full Elle Canada article is well worth reading, or book your consultation with us at AvenueMD today.

Read the full article in Elle Canada →