In the quest for weight loss more and more of our clients are turning to medications like Ozempic or Monjuro for weight loss. These medications continue  to gain popularity for their both safety and effectiveness in aiding weight loss , along with anti-inflammatory benefits that seemed to be especially loved by cardiologists.  These weight loss medications work by mimicking the activity of a hormone that regulates blood sugar levels and appetite.  The result is a reduced appetite leading in turn to decreased calorie intake and well, more weight loss. 

Seems like a dream no one would turn down, however, now after few years of experience at Metaglow with both of those medications for weight loss baton rouge we are hearing some emotional negatives. Ozempic faces? Ozempic butts? Muscle loss? Creepy skin?

In the realm of wellness and appearance medicine, the skin takes center stage as the body’s largest organ. It not only showcases our efforts towards health but also acts as a mirror reflecting overall well-being and age. Therefore, addressing skin concerns alongside weight loss becomes paramount. It’s not just about enhancing aesthetics; it’s about acknowledging a deeper connection between skin health and overall health and wellness.

You may have come across stories of individuals experiencing rapid weight loss, whether through medications like Ozempic or due to illness or surgery, leading to a deflated skin appearance. This can be disheartening, especially for those striving to reverse the effects of time on their health and appearance.

As a practice specialising in appearance and wellness medicine, our approach to addressing skin changes related to Ozempic, is multidimensional and personalised. We understand that comprehensive care is a key to achieving a leaner body with tighter skin. Here are some steps from our regimen that contribute to this goal:

Hydration: It’s common for adults to confuse thirst with hunger. Ensuring adequate water intake not only supports overall bodily functions but also promotes skin hydration. This simple step can complement weight loss efforts significantly.

• Detoxification through maintaining healthy gut function.  One of the effects of the weight loss medication is slowing down of the GI tract. 
• That in turn affects negatively eliminations of toxins and waste yet again subtracting from skin and  overall health.  
• Plenty of fiber , fresh fruits and vegetables and clean water will help GI tract stay at its best.
• At the higher level of effort, adding detoxification supplements and functional foods offers yet higher level of results. 
• Limiting alcohol and caffeine is always a part of good detoxification effort. 
• How far can detoxification diet be taken, depends on individual goals and efforts.

Maintain healthy muscle mass. 

Regular exercise to maintain a healthy muscle mass.  Calorie restriction without any other changes can lead to a decreased muscle mass, especially at older age.  As a part of our program we recommend protein supplementation and increased resistance exercise.  We strongly recommend regular measurements of body composition to evaluate muscle mass, tissue quality  and hydration.  The treatment course in case of decreased muscle mass is very much individualised and depends on client’s history, medications, fitness level and laboratory findings. It may include protein supplementation, changing exercise routing for example from walking to higher resistance workouts, evaluating hormonal health. Maintaining muscle mass while loosing fat can contribute to overall better body firmness and health.

Vitamin Supplementation. 

Another aspect of weight loss and calorie restriction is a decreased intake of vitamins, micronutrients and minerals.  Supplementing your vitamin intake and perhaps even collagen intake will improve skin and overall body’s health.  The list of recommended supplements can be very long and should be client specific. For example, if your body tends to keep lower vitamin D, decreasing nutritional intake would require replacing it. Or if you are genetically predisposed to not properly utilize folic acid, supplementing with available form would be important. Similar situation with many other nutrients and vitamins.  Common recommendation would be to add a good multivitamin, extra vitamin C and D and AHA/DHA to your daily routine to cover some basics. Best recommendation would be as with any other weight loss, get a good evaluation of your nutritional values through labs and supplement from the start,  reevaluate during weight loss for adequate replacement.

Full Body Skincare.

Good start would be  using moisturisers specific for your skin type daily.  Hydration is very important for maintaining healthy skin during weight loss. It improves not only skin’s overall appearance but also health. We suggest giving preference to products with hydrating and firming ingredients like hyalouronic acid and ceramides, Vitamin E and C, serums with antioxidants and firming peptides.  Hot showers and saunas can strip skin of its natural oils and would call for heavier hydration with oils containing products.   It is also important to avoid harsh drying cleansers and use moisturising preferably natural products without harsh chemicals.  Gentle exfoliation can help remove some of the dead cells and allow for deeper more effective hydration.

Skin Treatments to combat Skin Laxity. 

Time tend to relax our skin with the best of care and weight loss time is particularly challenging in maintaining skin firmness and brightness. There are so many options on the market nowadays that choosing the right one can be relatively easy. Lasers continue to offer safe and effective skin firming treatments that last weeks to months and often need no downtime. Some of the options are light based and offer lifting and collagen induction with zero time down. Radiofrequency devices, with Morpheus being a household name, also offer reliable firming with minimal healing time. The longer lasting results come at a higher costs, but offer a great skin tightening virtually anywhere face or body.  In the areas where things seem to be missing, “things” can be added. Fillers are available in so many formulations, including completely natural products made out of blood  (for example  EZ Gel) or out of fat, to fully commercially made products containing hyaluronic acid or poly-L-lactic acid.

Manage Stress. 

This one is important for skin, health and so many other things in our lives. Stress is impacting all the hormones in our body, including ones that regulate sugar metabolisation, also our sleep, our recovery, our thinking and motivation, our self care and of course our relationship with food.  Actively measuring stress through use of variables or self assessment seems to be a first good step in making a progress.  Some other known ways of decreasing  stress are  through simple awareness of it, meditation and mindfulness.  Limiting screen time and connecting with others may be a very effective way to decrease stress for those spending most of their day with a device.

And stress discussion  brings up another  Ozempic /Wegovy dilemma. As medication takes effect, it changes not only overall appetite , but in some , overall food preference and sometime even more, overall relationship with food. Decreased appetite may be limiting socially for those who now are not interested in eating and cooking as much as they used to be.  Does it mean that weight loss medication can take away your joy of life? Can it in turn contribute to stress or depression?  Hopefully not, but being aware of all the implications  and possible outcomes makes for a safer journey.

By incorporating all these considerations into our client’s medication based weight loss journey we aim to draft the course with the best possible outcome and to support them  in achieving their desired health and appearance goals with no downsides. 

And what about “natural” weight loss options?  The subject of  weight loss without medication is becoming a longer discussion in the context of precision medicine. Precision medicine is based on data , labs values, nutritional and  sometime even wearable data, on the genetic and genomic  information about one’s organism.  All of that combined shows how one’s physiology may be in need of a regimen different from others, how one person responds to food, stress,  nutrients and the exercise as opposed to how we all do.  It is much more variable from person to person then traditionally thought. t is also a very important subject as it addresses body’s fundamental balances that once established, allow for more precise and effective adjustments and interventions.