The Best In-Office Treatments to Get After GLP-1 Weight Loss

At Dallas dermatologist Elizabeth Houshmand, MD’s practice, there’s been an influx of patients making appointments for one specific concern: hair loss due to GLP-1 use.

“I am seeing more patients for hair-loss consultations due to GLP-1 use,” she says. “It is basically a telogen effluvium, and I am using PRP, supplements and blood work to evaluate.”

As for timing, Dr. Houshmand says that no one is coming in preemptively—although she wishes they would. “They come in after being on the meds for several months and start to notice hair loss, as well loss of volume or laxity of their skin on both the body and face.”

For that second “loss”—that of volume—Dr. Houshmand notes she is doing “a lot of biostimulators, like Sculptra, and combination therapy with fillers and neurotoxins.”

Encino, CA plastic surgeon George Sanders, MD is also a fan of facial fillers for this category of patients when it comes to noninvasive options. “With the use of GLP-1 agonists, rapid weight loss frequently occurs, leading to loose and stretched skin,” he explains. “Microneedling and/or radiofrequency treatments will also tighten lax skin, and the use of fillers to provide necessary soft tissue support is also helpful.”

On Phoenix dermatologist Dr. Karan Lal’s list for GLP-1 users: Sofwave and Ultherapy Prime, to start. “They are both ultrasound technologies that are noninvasive that can provide lifting and tightening for up to six months,” he explains. “I also really like Renuvion—it is a minimally invasive device that coagulates tissue and is my go-to for GLP-associated sagging. It is done in the office or it can be done with liposuction. It can tighten up to 60 percent of the skin.”

Dr. Lal also has found good success with hyaluronic acid fillers in GLP-1 patients. “I personally love Juvederm Voluma for structure and Vollure for fine lines,” he says. “EMFACE by BTL can also help with lifting.”

As expected, the body is also a prime area to pinpoint. In fact, for the first time, the 2024 American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) Procedural Statistics Report (released over the summer) measured the prescription of weight-loss medications by its members, with more than 800,000 aesthetic patients utilizing them to support their health goals in 2024.

The findings: Twenty percent of GLP-1 patients under the care of ASPS Member Surgeons have already undergone plastic surgery, while 39 percent are considering a surgical procedure and 41 percent are considering a nonsurgical procedure. While not a substitute for weight-loss surgery, the report also noted that body-contouring procedures “can help GLP-1 patients achieve balance, improved functionality and enhanced self-esteem.”

What is also helpful, says Nashville plastic surgeon Daniel A. Hatef, MD is for patients to consider microdosing. “Patients who are on GLP-1 agonist peptides are sometimes experiencing such an aggressive decline in their body fat that they can begin to look ‘hollow.’ Although we love fat grafting and off-the-shelf fillers like Sculptra, Renuva and Alloclae, the main thing we tell patients is that it is time to start decreasing the dose and or frequency of their medication,” he says. “At our office, we only microdose, so our patients typically do not get to this stage. When we are seeing patients whose GLP-1 agonist use is being managed in a more aggressive manner, we recommend that they start to level off their weight loss and coordinate with their prescribing physician to help land the plane, so to speak.”