How To Avoid ‘Ozempic Butt’

If you take Ozempic® or other semaglutides for weight loss, you’re probably prepared to see a difference in your overall appearance when you look in the mirror. But people are noticing they have “Ozempic butt” — or sagging and loose skin — among other physical changes to their body.

What is ‘Ozempic butt’?

People refer to terms like “Ozempic butt” or “Wegovy butt” when they notice loose, flabby or wrinkly skin around their buttock area and experience muscle loss in their backside.

But those changes aren’t directly connected to these medications, or any specific weight loss medication, explains obesity medicine subspecialist W. Scott Butsch, MD, who’s also employed by Novo Nordisk (the makers of Ozempic and Wegovy™).

“The public term ‘Ozempic butt’ may be a result of what we see with weight loss in general,” says Dr. Butsch. “When somebody loses weight — whether that’s with diet changes, an increase in physical activity, medication or bariatric surgery — we know there’s a reduction in fat mass, as well as a reduction in muscle mass. Your body doesn’t need to carry that previous weight, so there’s a shrinking of the muscle.”

“Ozempic butt” isn’t a medical term or official diagnosis, but more of a way that people talk about this unwanted side effect of weight loss while on a weight loss drug. It’s not specific to a particular medication, like Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro® or Zepbound®.

What does Ozempic butt look like?

You may notice the following changes around your backside area:

• Saggy or loose skin
• Loss of muscle volume
• Reduction in size
• Change in shape

You may think you have a deflated derriere.

What causes Ozempic butt?

Rapid or extreme weight loss over a short timeframe can lead to saggy or loose skin in some people.

Think about it this way: When you gain weight, it likely wasn’t overnight. It was a gradual increase over time — giving your body time to adjust to any added weight.

More recently, medications like semaglutide (Ozempic and Wegovy) or tirzepatide (Mounjaro or Zepbound) may result in significant weight loss. If you lose weight quickly, your body (and particularly your skin) doesn’t have the ability to recover as quickly. Your skin may even lose collagen and elastin — essential to having skin that can bounce back.

The result? Sagging or loose skin.

You may also lose muscle as you burn fat. If your body is in a calorie deficit — using up more calories in exercise than you’re taking in from your diet — your body may need to use muscle alongside fat for energy.

That can contribute to the overall appearance of Ozempic butt.

Other factors that can contribute to sagging skin and muscle loss include:

• Age
• How long you’ve been living with obesity
• Amount of weight loss

How to avoid Ozempic butt

Before you start a weight loss medication, Dr. Butsch suggests the following:

• Go slow. Have a conversation with your healthcare provider about your goals and possible side effects. They can prescribe or adjust your medication so you lose weight slowly — about one or two pounds a week — versus rapid weight loss. This will give your body time to react and respond to any weight changes.
• Stay hydrated. Making sure you drink enough water throughout the day can help your skin stay elastic.
• Eat enough protein. Protein helps you build and keep muscle as you reduce body fat. “The amount you need can vary from person to person,” notes Dr. Butsch.
• Try targeted exercise. Try strength training with resistance bands or weights to help tone and strengthen your glutes. Certain moves like clamshells and reverse dumbbell lunges target the muscles in your butt.

How to treat Ozempic butt

If you’ve already noticed a sagging, deflated look, there are a few things you can do:

• Give your body time. You may benefit from taking time to let your body get used to your new weight. It could take up to a year for the skin around your butt to respond and adjust.
• Consult a plastic surgeon. If your body doesn’t bounce back and you’re still concerned about your rear’s appearance, a plastic surgeon can talk to you about various cosmetic procedures, like body contouring or a Brazilian butt lift.

Bottom line?

Your body not only loses fat when you lose weight on new medications like semaglutide or tirzepatide. It can lose muscle, too. And your skin may not bounce back like it used to. This one-two punch may lead to what people nickname “Ozempic butt.”

But there are steps you can take to prevent it from happening in the first place.

“We have to look more into how we’re assessing muscle change in the setting of weight loss,” says Dr. Butsch. “It’s not clear if there is something unique about this class of drugs that leads to specific outcomes on the muscle, whether it’s a loss of mass or an improvement in muscle function and performance.

“Studies need to be done to better understand the changes of muscle after weight loss while on these new highly effective obesity medications.”