Obesity drugs are leaving more people with loose, sagging skin. But firming creams and body contouring treatments are largely a pipe dream, experts say.
In a little less than a year, Tresnae Ramsey lost 100 pounds on the obesity drug tirzepatide, but her skin bore the memory — sagging, drooping and pooling in soft folds. “When I sit down on the couch, I hear a ploop,” she said.
At first, it felt like a small price to pay because, as she lost weight, Ms. Ramsey’s endometriosis and fibromyalgia pain subsided, and her blood pressure and blood sugar levels normalised. But as her skin loosened and her breasts drooped, Ms. Ramsey, 37, grew more self-conscious, avoiding gyms, public pools and other places where her body would be on display.
Excess skin has long been an issue among patients who’ve had bariatric surgery, which makes the stomach smaller, or otherwise lost weight rapidly. But over the past few years, doctors say they’re seeing loose skin much more often as new obesity drugs — like Ozempic, Zepbound and Wegovy — Become More Powerful and commonplace.
One in 5 Adults in the United States now say they’ve taken these medications, fueling demand for body contouring procedures that get rid of or firm up loose skin. But many of these services are prohibitively expensive, and the nonsurgical options — like ultrasound, radiofrequency and laser treatments — have largely not been studied after major weight loss. That mix of high cost and scant research has opened the door to a cottage industry of influencers peddling creams, collagen, supplements and other dubious remedies online.
“I thought I knew what weight loss would be like,” Ms. Ramsey said. “Nobody warned me about the loose skin.”
Rapid weight loss outpaces the skin’s ability to rebound.
Collagen and elastin are proteins that give skin its firmness and elasticity. So skin will flex as you gain weight, build up muscle or become pregnant. But like a rubber band stretched for too long, it doesn’t always snap back.