TAKING SHAPE: A NEW AESTHETIC PATIENT EMERGES
Through our close collaborations with healthcare professionals, Galderma was quick to pinpoint the trend for patients seeking aesthetic solutions after weight loss around the world.
So, we commissioned a global research project that surveyed over 1,300 patients1. Results revealed that most medication-driven weight loss patients noted changes to their face.
These insights help give shape to this emerging new consumer group in aesthetics. For these patients, their weight loss journey is about looking and feeling healthier and more confident, with an external appearance that aligns with their internal transformation – including a radiant, slim, well-defined face1,8.
SKIN DEEP: THE SCIENCE EXPLAINED
When patients experience significant and/or rapid weight loss, several key physiological processes take place and cause changes to their facial appearance. These include fat loss, the degradation of essential skin proteins (such as collagen and elastin), and the depletion of vital nutrients like fatty acids.9
The resulting facial changes can vary from sagging skin or patients developing a gaunt or hollowed-out appearance, to the most severely impacted patients looking up to five years older than their true age.9
By understanding the science behind these transformations, aesthetics practitioners are better able to offer solutions that help patients feel confident and comfortable in their evolving appearance.
TAKING ACTION: AN ALGORITHM FOR EVERY NEED
To support the aesthetics community on this emerging challenge, we worked with a global, multidisciplinary panel of experts—including clinicians, researchers and industry leaders—to establish the first international consensus guidelines that provide a practical framework for practitioners to address the specific needs of these patients, published in the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology.2
REFERENCES
[1] Galderma MAC research. 2024
[2] Nikolis A, et al. Consensus Statements on Managing Aesthetic Needs in Prescription Medication-Driven Weight Loss Patients: An International, Multidisciplinary Delphi Study. JCD. 2025;24: e70094. https://doi.org/10.1111/jocd.70094
[3] KFF. KFF Health Tracking Poll May 2024: The Public’s Use and Views of GLP-1 Drugs. Available online. Accessed July 2025
[4] JP Morgan. The increase in appetite for obesity drugs. Available online. Accessed July 2025
[5] Market Insight. The semaglutide revolution study. October 2024
[6] Everyday Health. Ozempic shortage: how a weight loss fad has slashed access to a diabetes drug. Available online. Accessed July 2025
[7] Medical Insight. GLP-1 market & impact on the aesthetic provider. October 2024
[8] HAVAS. Prosumer report: welcome to the GLP-1 revolution. Available online. Accessed July 2025
[9] Humphrey CD & Lawrence AC. Implications of Ozempic and other GLP-1 receptor agonists for facial plastic surgeons. Facial Plast Surg. 2023;39:719-72. doi:10.1055/a-2148-6321
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