Interest in Facial Volume Restorative Procedures With the Rise in “Ozempic Face”: A Google Trends Analysis

Abstract

Background:

Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs) are increasing in prevalence as the “go-to” medication for type 2 diabetes, obesity, and off-label weight loss. The changes associated with the use of these medications can result in an undesirable change in facial structure and skin quality, leading to a more aged appearance in users of these medications. This study aimed to identify whether increased public interest in these GLP-1RA–related face changes, a phenomenon termed “Ozempic face,” is associated with increased interest in relevant corrective procedures.

Methods:

Google Trends searches for terms related to Ozempic face, and the relevant corrective procedures were statistically analyzed to assess correlative relationships.

Results:

A significant positive trend was present for all Ozempic face–related terms from June 2022 to June 2025, indicating an increase in search for these terms during this time period. There was a significant positive relationship between the increased interest in the facial weight loss–related terms and “filler” terms, but no significant relationship with surgical procedure terms.

Conclusions:

With the rapid rise in the number of patients on these medications, it is essential for any clinicians who prescribe them or those who follow up with patients who use them to increase their awareness of this phenomenon for appropriate patient counseling and treatment. This study highlights the growing role of facial aesthetic procedures in the care of GLP-1RA users. Our findings underscore the need for greater clinician education and continued research on the most effective and optimal methods for approaching these side effects.

Takeaways

Question: Did public interest in facial volume–corrective procedures increase with the increased incidence of the “Ozempic face” phenomenon?

Findings: Google Trends data were analyzed to find any association between an increase in searches for Ozempic face and searches for relevant corrective procedures. There was an association between increased interest in Ozempic face and its related terms and “filler” terms, but no association with interest in surgical procedure terms.

Meaning: With the rise in the use of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists, it is essential for clinicians to increase their awareness of the Ozempic face phenomenon and its appropriate corrective options, particularly for appropriate patient counseling and treatment.

INTRODUCTION

The use of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1RA) medications has greatly expanded during the past few years, turning the GLP-1RA market into a rapidly growing, multibillion-dollar industry with tens of millions of users in the United States alone.^1,2 Although these medications have been approved in some form for more than 20 years for the treatment of type 2 diabetes, the expansion of their use as treatment for other conditions such as obesity and for other health benefits has been on the rise during the past few years. Furthermore, they also have a growing market as an off-label medication for general and cosmetic weight loss, which they have been very effective at achieving.³ Although these medications are successful at accomplishing these goals, they often cause a plethora of unwanted side effects, sometimes as a direct result of the medication itself, or often as a result of the rapid weight loss that is associated with the use of the medication. Leading clinical side effects include gastrointestinal symptoms, increased risk of pancreatitis, and increased risk of kidney failure.³ Cosmetic side effects resulting from rapid weight loss may be more bothersome for patients, as they are often visible, unexpected, and undesirable. Volume depression can be seen in various parts of the body, including the face. Specifically, loss of volume in areas of the face associated with youthfulness, such as the cheeks, temples, and jawline, may lead GLP-1RA users to develop a sunken and depressed facial contour and thus a more aged appearance. Furthermore, the decrease in nutrition associated with these drugs may also cause a loss of various connective tissue factors in the skin, leading to an increase in drooping and wrinkles and adding to the altered appearance due to fat loss in higher volume areas of the face.^4,5 A popular name for this phenomenon in public media is “Ozempic face.”⁶

As a result of these effects, facial plastic surgeons and other cosmetic clinicians may find themselves advising more patients than before regarding corrective procedures, particularly facial volume restoration procedures, such as fat grafting and filler injection. Despite the increasing media coverage of this phenomenon, there is limited literature that assesses how increased public interest in it is affecting interest in the relevant corrective facial procedures. In this study, we use Google Trends, a popular tool for evaluating the commonality of specific search terms, to analyze public search interest in Ozempic face and any correlations between that interest and interest in relevant volume-corrective procedures. It is hypothesized that there has been a significant increase in searches for volume-corrective procedures in relation to searches regarding GLP-1RAs.

METHODS

Google Trends is a publicly available resource that allows users to analyze the popularity of terms that were searched in the Google search engine from 2004 onward. It presents data as relative search volumes (RSVs) rather than absolute search values, with the highest RSV for the searched time period set at 100. Trend data for the United States from June 2022 to June 2025 were downloaded for “Ozempic face,” and the following procedure search terms of interest: “facial filler,” “face filler,” “facial fat grafting,” “face fat grafting,” “cheek filler,” “facial fat transfer,” “rhytidectomy,” “face lift,” “facelift,” “neck lift,” and “necklift.” Search terms relating to Ozempic face were identified from the top 25 related queries on the initial result page, and 7 relevant terms were identified and also downloaded for analysis: “what is Ozempic face,” “Ozempic side effects face,” “Ozempic weight loss face,” “the Ozempic face,” “plastic surgeons Ozempic face,” “Wegovy face,” and “semaglutide face.” June 2022 was used as the starting point as it was immediately before when the term “Ozempic face” was coined in the United States,⁵ and results before this have an RSV of 0. Python version 3.13 was used for statistical analysis. Linear regression was run for Ozempic face and the relevant terms’ search interest over time. Spearman correlation tests were run on time-detrended data between those terms and the procedure terms of interest. A P value of less than 0.05 was used for significance.

RESULTS

Search interest for the term “Ozempic face” (P = 0.0052, Fig. 1) and all its relevant terms (Fig. 2) significantly increased over time from June 2022 to June 2025. Search interest for all the queried procedure terms except for “face fat grafting” and “rhytidectomy” also significantly increased during the period of interest (Fig. 3). Correlation was significantly positive between any facial weight loss search term that contained the word “Ozempic,” “Wegovy face,” and “semaglutide face” and the procedure terms “facial filler,” “face filler,” and “cheek filler” (Table 1). The term “plastic surgeons Ozempic face” was not correlated with the filler terms but significantly correlated with “facial fat grafting,” “face fat grafting,” “facelift,” and “face lift.” A significant negative correlation was found between most Ozempic-related terms and the surgical procedure terms, including “facial fat grafting,” “face fat grafting,” “rhytidectomy,” and “facelift.” No significant relationship was found between the Ozempic-related terms and “neck lift” or “necklift” terms. Of note, when assessed altogether, “facelift” and “face lift” had the highest RSVs of all filler and “lift” procedure terms (Fig. 4).

Fig. 1.

Ozempic face RSV over time.

Fig. 2.

RSV trends and linear regression of Ozempic face–relevant terms.

Fig. 3.

RSV trends and linear regression of procedure terms.

Table 1.

Significant Spearman Correlations Between Procedure Terms and Interest Terms

Ozempic Term	Procedure Term	Spearman ρ (Detrended)	P
Ozempic face	Facial filler	0.202	0.0116
Ozempic face	Face filler	0.206	0.0098
Ozempic face	Facial fat grafting	−0.333	0
Ozempic face	Fat grafting	−0.21	0.0084
Ozempic face	Cheek filler	0.253	0.0015
Ozempic face	Facial fat transfer	−0.181	0.0236
Ozempic face	Rhytidectomy	−0.203	0.011
Ozempic face	Face lift	−0.341	0
Ozempic face	Face lift	−0.201	0.0119
What is Ozempic face	Facial filler	0.225	0.0046
What is Ozempic face	Face filler	0.178	0.0254
What is Ozempic face	Facial fat grafting	−0.198	0.0131
What is Ozempic face	Cheek filler	0.258	0.0011
What is Ozempic face	Face lift	−0.23	0.0037
What is Ozempic face	Face lift	−0.16	0.0448
Ozempic side effects face	Facial filler	0.237	0.0028
Ozempic side effects face	Face filler	0.182	0.0226
Ozempic side effects face	Facial fat grafting	−0.187	0.0189
Ozempic side effects face	Fat grafting	−0.181	0.0231
Ozempic side effects face	Cheek filler	0.254	0.0013
Ozempic side effects face	Facial fat transfer	−0.16	0.0454
Ozempic side effects face	Rhytidectomy	−0.165	0.0386
Ozempic side effects face	Face lift	−0.252	0.0014s
Ozempic weight loss face	Facial filler	0.267	0.0007
Ozempic weight loss face	Face filler	0.249	0.0017
Ozempic weight loss face	Facial fat grafting	−0.269	0.0007
Ozempic weight loss face	Fat grafting	−0.169	0.0346
Ozempic weight loss face	Cheek filler	0.297	0.0002
Ozempic weight loss face	Facial fat transfer	−0.177	0.0264
Ozempic weight loss face	Rhytidectomy	−0.16	0.0458
Ozempic weight loss face	Face lift	−0.243	0.0022
The Ozempic face	Facial filler	0.319	0
The Ozempic face	Face filler	0.209	0.0087
The Ozempic face	Cheek filler	0.311	0.0001
Plastic surgeons Ozempic face	Facial fat grafting	0.257	0.0012
Plastic surgeons Ozempic face	Face fat grafting	0.57	0
Plastic surgeons Ozempic face	Face lift	0.254	0.0013
Plastic surgeons Ozempic face	Face lift	0.414	0
Wegovy face	Face filler	0.189	0.018
Wegovy face	Facial fat grafting	−0.178	0.0257
Wegovy face	Rhytidectomy	−0.196	0.0137
Wegovy face	Face lift	−0.294	0.0002
Semaglutide face	Facial filler	0.209	0.0086
Semaglutide face	Face filler	0.17	0.0337
Semaglutide face	Facial fat grafting	−0.191	0.0167
Semaglutide face	Face fat grafting	−0.233	0.0033
Semaglutide face	Rhytidectomy	−0.235	0.0031
Semaglutide face	Face lift	−0.251	0.0015

Negative correlations are highlighted in bold.

Fig. 4.

Search popularity of filler and “lift” terms.

DISCUSSION

Our results confirm the increase in public interest of GLP1-RA–associated facial weight loss as evident through the increasing RSV and significant linear regressions of the direct term Ozempic face and its relevant terms (eg, Ozempic weight loss face, semaglutide face). Increasing RSV and significant linear regressions of the procedure terms also confirm a general increase in interest in these procedures over time. Spearman correlation tests indicate a significant relationship between many of the weight loss terms and filler procedure terms. These correlations persist even after the removal of time trends in the data, indicating a true correlation between the weight loss and filler procedure terms. It is not unexpected that nearly every significant relationship was between the weight loss terms and filler terms, as filler procedures are far less invasive, less expensive, and less of a patient commitment for volume restoration compared with traditional fat grafting procedures. Additionally, patients may be more familiar with noninvasive volume restoration through fillers than they are with surgical procedures such as fat grafting and rhytidectomy. Fillers are also versatile in how they can be used to modify the appearance of facial structures. They can have more reliable outcomes, are more readily accessible, and can be performed by a larger variety of providers.⁷

An unexpected finding was the negative correlation between many of the Ozempic-related search terms and the surgical procedure terms. This could be due to a low public awareness or education on the association between correction of facial volume loss with these surgical procedures, and greater awareness of the role of fillers for this correction. The fact that the surgical procedure terms were positively correlated with the search “plastic surgeons Ozempic face” indicates that these specific surgical procedures could be of interest when correction of Ozempic face is associated with surgery. The focus on fillers may be drawing attention away from surgical procedures, leading to the negative correlation. A second potential explanation is that the population that is using GLP1-RAs and looking for correction of the resulting facial volume loss may be more inclined toward the nonsurgical options over anything else. For example, it may be a younger population that is less likely to opt for surgical correction, especially with procedures more typically associated with the aging population, such as rhytidectomy. A preference against surgical correction may also be due to the invasiveness of surgical procedures compared with fillers or the higher cost, which can often come as more than double or triple the price of fillers.⁸ Finally, the lack of any correlation with platysmaplasty terms could indicate a lack of knowledge or recognition of the connection between the Ozempic face phenomenon and alterations in the appearance of the neck.

One important distinction to make is the difference in facial changes due to the medication itself versus changes that are general to rapid weight loss, no matter the cause. Although this seems to be a rising phenomenon in the media, it may be due to a natural process and is not a new finding in and of itself, as evident by a similar experience seen in patients who lose weight rapidly after bariatric procedures. The fat loss has the potential to alter the appearance of nearly every feature of the face, including the cheeks, temples, orbits, jaw, lips, and chin. In addition to this, other mechanisms have been proposed as further causes of skin and face aging that are specific to the GLP1-RA class. These include a direct effect on the dermal white adipose tissue layer of the skin, a hormonal dysregulation of facial muscles, collagen and elastin degradation, increased oxidative damage to the dermis, and a potential decrease in facial muscle tone.⁹

Some discussions that have grown as a result of Ozempic face are over what really is the proper corrective approach to the facial changes. One study that imaged GLP1-RA users found that the fat loss primarily occurs in the superficial fat pad of the midface and not in the deeper fat pads.¹⁰ Again, there is limited conclusive data on whether this is due to general fat loss or the medication-specific effects. However, it does suggest that revolumization techniques may differ from those used solely for primary aging, where there is greater implication of the deep facial fat pad layers.¹¹ This raises questions on whether or not filler really is the best approach, what the most ideal injection depth and location would be if it is the best approach, whether or not procedures that are not volume corrective, such as rhytidectomy or rhytid-targeted botulinum toxin, would be more beneficial, and whether there are any novel approaches or combination of approaches that would yield more desirable outcomes. Thus, although the popularity of our searched procedure terms is increasing, it is vital for future studies to continue assessing the most appropriate corrective approach to the Ozempic face phenomenon. Other topics that would yield additional information include the influence of popular media in the portrayal of Ozempic face, direct analysis of the number of GLP1-RA users that receive corrective procedures, and continued studies on differentiation between rapid weight loss changes versus GLP1-RA–specific changes.

Although Google Trends is useful in creating correlations between search terms over time, it remains limited in its applicability to individual patient populations. The lack of granular details such as the age of the individual searching, other demographic details, personal medical history, history of GLP-1RA use, and setting variables limits the ability to draw definitive conclusions. However, these results do suggest that providers offering volumization services should be aware of the Ozempic face phenomenon and the increased interest in reversing these unfavorable side effects.

CONCLUSIONS

The use of GLP1-RAs continues to increase and does not seem to be slowing down any time soon due to how effective the medication class is as a treatment for diabetes and weight loss. Our results indicate that public interest in facial revolumization procedures, particularly filler procedures, is increasing in correlation with the increase of the Ozempic face experience. Clinicians in several specialties will be faced with the side effects and results of GLP1-RAs. For plastic surgeons, it will be important to share with medical colleagues prescribing these medications that Ozempic face is a recognized entity and that it can be a source of patient dissatisfaction and negative quality of life. Fortunately, successful treatments for Ozempic face are available and include, in addition to the recognized role of fillers, surgical interventions to remove excess skin and tighten the underlying fascia that was previously stretched by the excess volume.^5,12 This can restore patients’ satisfaction with their appearance and how they view the outcomes of treatment.

DISCLOSURE

The authors have no financial interest to declare in relation to the content of this article.

ETHICAL APPROVAL

This study was conducted in accordance with the principles outlined in the Declaration of Helsinki. The study involved analysis of publicly available, anonymized data from Google Trends, and did not involve direct interaction with human participants or collection of identifiable personal information.