As summer rapidly approaches, some people will be trying to get their body ready for the beach... but one thing stressing them out is "Ozempic butt".
Yep, it turns out that the viral weight-loss drug Ozempic — originally developed for managing Type 2 diabetes — is now leaving users with more than just a smaller waistline.
Rapid weight loss is transforming butts, faces, and even boobs in unexpected (and unwanted) ways.
Let’s get this out of the way first: Ozempic isn’t a weight loss drug. It even states that on the official Ozempic website.
It is a medication for adults with type 2 diabetes to “improve blood sugar (glucose)” and “reduce the risk of major cardiovascular events such as heart attack, stroke, or death.”
While dramatic weight loss is the point for many users, the aftermath isn’t always glamorous.
Meet 'Ozempic butt', the term now making waves online.
Jess Loren, 39, shared her experience with the New York Post after dropping over 75lb with Ozempic: “My dad said, ‘You don’t have a butt anymore.’ I try on bathing suits and I’ve got 'ghost a**,' or what people online call 'Ozempic butt.'”
It’s not an officially listed side-effect, but rapid weight loss can cause skin in once-plump areas to sag. And butts aren’t the only victims.
Many celebrities have also reportedly fallen victim to ‘Ozempic face,’ where cheeks hollow out and eyes look sunken.
Dr. Iman Saleh, Director of Obesity Medicine at South Shore University Hospital, explained to PEOPLE: “The faces are saggy, they lose their fat content in their face, there are increased wrinkles.
"Some people look a little bit more aged. People have noticed that there's more hollowing around their eyes because of the loss of the texture or the fat content that is in the face.”
Same goes for breasts.
Saleh continued: “People who have had weight-loss surgeries will have the same effect. So, it's not the medications itself that are causing this. It's the rapid weight loss that is occurring with the use of these medications that are giving those the Ozempic face and the Ozempic breast and the Ozempic butt.”
Her advice is to take it slow.
The recommended rate of weight loss is “one to two pounds a week” to give your skin time to bounce back.
And if you're trying to keep your curves: “Increase of protein in their diet is very important. Increase of exercise, resistance bands. In terms of the buttocks, [do] more squats, more to increase muscle to compensate really for the fat loss.”
In case you need a more visual idea of what Ozempic does, then Zack D. Films is the man for you.
As he put it in his now-viral simulation: “Once Ozempic is in your bloodstream, it activates the parts of the brain that make you feel full, reducing your appetite. It also stabilises your blood sugar, stopping sudden cravings.
"Then it slows down how fast your stomach empties food, which keeps you feeling full for longer after a meal. This causes you to lose weight as you eat less. But it can make some people feel sick and even give them diarrhoea.”
Lovely.