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As the popularity of GLP-1 medications like Ozempic, Wegovy, and Mounjaro has boomed in the past couple of years, my inbox has runneth over with emails from plastic surgeons’ and dermatologists’ publicists offering solutions to the aesthetic side effects these drugs may cause. While most of the pitches relate to the rapid loss of facial volume that has been not-so-affectionately coined “Ozempic face,” I’ve seen subject lines about plenty of other body parts that are apparently impacted by the speedy weight loss that is often the result of taking these medications:
- “Ozempic Butt and Beyond”
- “Mounjaro Hair Loss—Expert Explains Why and Tips to Prevent It”
- “Ozempic’s Hidden Side Effect: Tooth Damage”
As both a beauty writer and someone who's been on weight-management injections for two years, I can’t take them all at face value. Some concerns about GLP-1 side effects are valid and have the research to back them up, but others can be blatant plays for press attention inspired by little more than one expert’s imagination and some anecdotal correlation. So when several Allure editors got a press release with the term “Ozempic earlobes” in the subject line last week, my curiosity was piqued.
Earlobes, apparently, are top of mind among GLP-1 patients at the moment, if the release is anything to go by. It purports that rapid weight loss is causing a growing number of patients to have sagging lobes—but thankfully, there’s an in-demand, low-downtime surgery that can restore patients’ earlobes to their original shape and size. (This press release, if you haven’t caught on yet, was sent by a representative for a plastic surgeon who performs earlobe correction surgery.)
After reading this email, I immediately examined my own earlobes in the mirror. Even after losing 60 pounds in less than a year, I can confidently say they look the same as they did before. (I cannot say the same for my now comically flat ass, but c'est la vie.) I know my experiences aren’t the same as every other GLP-1 patient’s, but I still had to wonder if the concept of “Ozempic ears” is a stretch—or literally a lack thereof.
Based on what the experts tell me, some GLP-1 patients are bound to lose volume in their earlobes, but probably not solely due to the drug or the weight loss it causes. According to New York City board-certified plastic surgeon Steven J. Pearlman, MD, earlobes do contain fat, so “extreme fat loss” (as in 30 pounds or more) might cause them to thin out to some extent in some patients. That said, Palm Beach-based, board-certified plastic surgeon Mark Murphy, MD, widely attributes earlobe changes to other factors. “While significant weight loss can affect the appearance of the ears to some extent, the aging process and heavy earrings tend to have a more significant impact, particularly in older individuals,” Dr. Murphy explains. “Each patient’s unique anatomy and the extent of weight loss will ultimately determine the degree of change seen in the ears.”
In other words, “Ozempic ears” is not an issue anyone can reasonably, exclusively assign to the weight loss drug itself. And considering that the average GLP-1 recipient is only in their 40s, like me, I think it’s safe to say that earlobe sagging is not an inevitability for every single patient.
I can’t help but be a little vexed by yet another catchy, scapegoating term for something that may not, in many cases, be directly caused by GLP-1 use. When thrown around without caution, terms like these can wind up making patients like me—who’ve already been made to feel dissatisfied with how we look and feel it to the point of seeking medical treatment—feel less than. When I see Ozempic-related headlines in the media and similar subject lines in my inbox, I feel like I’m reading through a list of allegedly unattractive new things about my body that I hadn’t even noticed or cared about before. Sure, some of us (myself included) have pondered post-GLP-1 procedures; it’s nice to know our options. But it’s easy to forget that they are just options, not urgent obligations.
If you happen to be someone who has, in fact, experienced bothersome earlobe changes—whether related to weight loss or not—I’ll never judge you for seeking cosmetic solutions, of which there are a couple. “Earlobe correction surgery is a very straightforward procedure that takes about 45 minutes and is performed in the office under local anesthesia to numb the area,” Dr. Murphy says. “Excess tissue is removed, and the ear is sutured to form a more aesthetically pleasing shape.” Sutures are removed about 10 days later, and patients can pierce or re-pierce their ears within a couple of months if they like.
Dr. Pearlman says filler injections are a less invasive fix, though, like facial filler, it may need to be re-upped every now and then (some people need more filler than others, so that’s a conversation to have with your doctor). “I tell patients that adding filler to their earlobes can look like their diamond studs are half a carat larger since [their lobes] are perked up,” he says.
Personally, I’d rather treat myself to a nice pair of lab-grown diamond earrings than turn to cosmetic intervention. Not too big, of course. I don’t want to tempt fate and find myself needing a major earlobe makeover when I’m older. And I use “needing” very loosely. Just like I’m not rushing to do something about my butt, I’m reminding myself that I don’t have to “fix” every cleverly coined post-GLP-1 “problem.”
