Ozempic has surged in popularity over the past few months due in part to its off-label usage as a weight loss drug.
The gaunt and hollow look that some users of a popular diabetes medication are experiencing now has a name: Ozempic face.
Ozempic has surged in popularity over the past few months due to the weight loss most people experience when they start using the prescription medication.
"I've injected about four or five of my friends with Ozempic," said Chelsea Handler on the Call Her Daddy podcast earlier this week.
The results are incredible for some, including Natasha.
She tells Inside Edition that she lost 68 pounds on Ozempic, but noted that her face started to change.
"I really felt like sometimes I was melting," says Natasha. "You really notice it in your jowls and in the hollows of your cheeks."
Dr. Doris Day, a board-certified dermatologist in New York City, says this is a common feeling for many who start quickly shedding weight.
"Any type of rapid weight loss can make our face look saggy, heavier and older than our years," explains Day. "This drug is a great option for many people for both diabetes management and for weight loss, but it's needs to be under proper supervision, proper guidance, and not just as something to get you to that weight loss quickly."
Ozempic is FDA-approved as a treatment for type 2 diabetes to improve blood sugar, along with diet and exercise, and reduce the risk of major cardiovascular events such as heart attack, stroke, or death in adults with type 2 diabetes and known heart disease.
Drug manufacturer Novo Nordisk says that it does not suggest or encourage the off-label usage of any of its prescription medications.
