I got Ozempic face after losing more than a stone on fat jabs
Mother of two Olivia Falcon got a shock after taking semaglutide. She tried cosmetic treatments to reverse its effects
Olivia Falcon noticed sausage-shaped bumps on her face after taking Ozempic
AMIT LENNON FOR THE TIMES
Olivia Falcon
Tuesday March 18 2025, 12.00am, The Times
It was April 2023, and I hadn’t been feeling well for months, when I arrived at Dr Wendy Denning’s private practice in London to talk about Ozempic. As a 50-year-old beauty journalist, with a business that advises women (and a growing number of men) on the best cosmetic procedures and practitioners, I have always prioritised trying to look my best. Heading into perimenopause, this had become increasingly challenging. As my hormones fluctuated, my health took a nose dive; my weight increased, I had constant lower back pain and blood tests revealed I was prediabetic with worryingly high cholesterol.
In an effort to shed the weight, I spent about £3,000 with a functional medicine doctor, who gave me an eating plan and a suitcase full ofsupplements. At one point I was taking about 45 pills a day, which was pretty hard to swallow. Despite working out three times a week with a trainer and upping my steps, I got into a frustrating cycle. I would lose a couple of kilos, then my busy life would derail me — work dinners, demanding deadlines and long stints in front of a computer, juggling kids’ school holidays with work and the pressure to be “on” 24/7 left little time for a high-maintenance self-care routine — and the weight piled back on.
The day I walked into Denning’s office I weighed in at 70.5kg (a kilo or two shy of what I had weighed when I was full-term pregnant, which explains the back pain). After a full medical consultation, taking my blood pressure and more blood tests, Denning said I would be a good candidate to try Ozempic on a private prescription. Having read up on the side-effects (nausea, constipation and/or explosive diarrhoea or, worse, pancreatitis or thyroid cancer), I did not take the decision lightly.
A mother of two, I desperately wanted to reclaim my health, my lost vitality and, most important, I didn’t want to venture any further into the diabetic zone, so I started on a 0.25mg weekly dose of Ozempic, which I gradually increased after four months to 0.5mg as my body adjusted slowly to the medication.
• Ozempic seems like a miracle drug. But what’s it doing to our brains?
ADVERTISEMENT
Thanks to this low-and-slow approach, I managed to dodge most of Ozempic’s common medical side-effects. But, four months in, I was 5kg down when I noticed weird things were starting to happen to my face. The first red flag was a photo a friend texted me of us at a party. There I was looking svelte in an Alice Temperley dress I hadn’t been able to wear for years, beaming away, but to my horror under my eyes were two sausage-shaped bumps.
It was Catherine Deneuve who once said women of a certain age have to choose between their face and their ass — but I had resolved that I’d not have to make this choice. So, one hundred selfies later, I arrived at the Dr MediSpa clinic to see Munir Somji, an aesthetic doctor, to get his take on my sausage face. After an ultrasound of my under-eye area, he told me it looked like I had lost some fat under my eyes, there were signs of hollowing, and the bumps were clumps of old filler (I was shocked as I had only had a few drops under each eye about three years prior).
“Thanks to a few subtle tweaks I’m staying one step ahead of the dreaded Ozempic face”
JOHN ANGERSON FOR THE TIMES
Somji explained that the under-eye fat pads naturally descend with age, but my recent weight loss had turbo-boosted fat atrophy and the southern migration, causing unattractive hollowing and filler to also move downward. He swiftly dissolved the lumps with injections of hyaluronidase, an enzyme that dissolves hyaluronic acid (the water-attracting substance that makes up most fillers). The procedure costs £500, but while there was an instant improvement as the lumps flattened, I still looked haggard.
Not keen to go down the under-eye filler route again, I did some research and chose to have a course of Plinest polynucleotide injections. Plinest has been producing polynucleotides since 1952 (by extracting and purifying DNA from freshwater trout), for a number of medical issues such as wound healing and regenerating joints and cartilage. Only recently has it gained traction as a treatment applied to facial tissues and skin. The idea is that it stimulates fibroblasts — the cells that create collagen and elastin — increasing collagen and hydration levels. Crucially it doesn’t attract water like hyaluronic acid fillers do, so there is less chance of puffy eyes.
I saw Dr Ashwin Soni, who has clinics in London and one close to my home in Ascot for the treatment, which stung slightly and left small bumps for 24 hours afterwards. The polynucleotides were not an instant fix, but after a top-up treatment a month later (each session costs £500, so it’s not cheap), my skin texture was smoother, slightly tauter and it had removed the tired, greyish tinge that had been lurking underneath my eyes. This is a continuing treatment that I will do twice a year with Soni as the effects last about six months.
ADVERTISEMENT
It’s not the only way I’ve tackled my “Ozempic face”. After a chat with the doctor whom I see for bio-identical hormone therapy, I decided to try a prescriptive 0.05% estradiol-based cream prepared with boswellia extract (a plant-based anti-inflammatory) — not cheap at £91, but I use it on my whole face and neck.
In the spring of 2024, after taking Ozempic for one year, my weight plateaued, so under medical supervision I upped my dose to 1mg to shift the last remaining kilos. I hit my target weight of 60kg last summer, but even though I have been this weight most of my adult life, I was worried my face was starting to look gaunt.
One of my main concerns was my stringy neck, which was showing necklace-like platysmal lines and crepey skin that made me feel self-conscious to the point I was shopping for higher-necked shirts and dresses. Last August I went to see Dr Bibi Ghalaie on Harley Street for another Plinest treatment (called Plinest Newest), which combines polynucleotides with hyaluronic acid. It’s a thicker product than the eye treatment, and costs £1,500. Ghalie injected my neck and décolleté, leaving a necklace of lumps that didn’t subside for about three days. But I felt the treatment was worth the small amount of downtime, as my skin looked firmer and fresher. Now when I do a pinch test on my neck the skin instantly snaps back, whereas before it remained crinkled up like an unironed shirt.
I don’t plan to be on weight-loss injections for ever, but I am keen to try to maintain my current weight of 62kg. I stopped taking Ozempic before Christmas, but I did find myself gaining weight, so I am now microdosing Mounjaro, a slightly different medication that is marketed specifically for weight loss (taking the lowest 2.5mg dose every 12 days). I will probably carry on doing this for the next few months, before trying to wean myself off completely.
I do worry about things like muscle loss. One of the best discoveries I had recently is Louco protein powder, which helps to up my protein intake and muscle volume (essential when you are using weight-loss jabs in middle age). I load two teaspoons into a green smoothie that I drink mid-morning. I love the fact it it is slightly sweetened with organic date powder rather than artificial sweeteners, which is better for blood sugar levels.
ADVERTISEMENT
People may criticise me, but thanks to these injections my health has transformed and I’ve never felt better. My blood tests show I am no longer in the dangerous prediabetic zone, my cholesterol is down from 6.6 and currently sitting at 5.7. I genuinely feel more energised, self-confident and happy. And thanks to a few subtle tweaks I’m staying one step ahead of the dreaded Ozempic face.
Olivia Falcon is the founder of The Editor’s List @theeditorslist