Right now, it feels like every conversation about weight loss leads back to GLP-1 drugs such as Wegovy and Mounjaro, and that includes unwanted side-effects commonly dubbed ‘Ozempic face’. Issues such as sagging, hollowing and wrinkling are common complaints and are caused by rapid weight loss (not the jabs themselves). Now a major new review has found that patients are losing significant muscle mass as well as fat, which helps explain what people are seeing in the mirror – and, crucially, how facial exercise can help.
Experts have long believed that loss of muscle is a key factor behind ‘Ozempic face’, and the UNC findings support the view of skin doctors such as integrative dermatologist Dr Raja Sivamani, who advises taking muscle-protecting measures during GLP-1 treatment, starting with lifestyle. He tells GH, ‘A high protein diet helps to preserve muscle mass including facial muscle mass. Facial exercises can be helpful to maintain muscle mass as well.’
Why is facial exercise so important?
Facial exercise has definitely taken on a new supportive role in the GLP-1 era, confirms face yoga expert Anastasia Goron, aka social media’s @allyoucanface. ‘Rapid weight loss can accelerate muscle wasting, known as sarcopenia,’ she tells GH. ‘Your facial muscles are part of that equation. Without adequate protein and without engagement, those muscles lose tone, and the entire internal scaffolding of the face weakens.’
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Your facial muscles are affected by rapid weight loss
This consequence is something she now commonly hears about from her huge online community. ‘I hear from women who tell me they lost the weight they wanted, but now they don’t recognise their own face,’ she says. ‘They describe looking hollow, deflated, suddenly older. Some say they feel like they traded one insecurity for another.’
Thankfully, if anyone knows about tightening and toning the face, it’s Anastasia, who has amassed more than two million followers with her expert face yoga videos. Speaking to GH, Anastasia tells us which areas of the face are most affected by ‘Ozempic face’, and the exercises that can help.
What areas of the face are most affected by rapid weight loss?
According to Anastasia, the mid-face – particularly around the cheeks – tends to be most impacted, and can appear especially ageing. ‘This is where your superficial fat pads sit,’ she explains. ‘These create the soft, youthful curves we associate with a healthy face. When they shrink rapidly, the cheeks flatten and hollow, and the transition between the under eyes and cheeks becomes harsh rather than smooth.’
Alena Savina
The mid-face tends to be most impacted
The loss of these fat pads can also have a knock-on effect elsewhere, Anastasia explains. ‘Without that cushioning from the deeper fat pads, shadows deepen and the eyes look sunken and tired.’ Smile lines may become more noticeable, too: ‘The nasolabial folds also become more pronounced because the cheek tissue above them no longer provides natural lift.’
‘Then there’s the jawline and neck,’ she says. ‘When volume drops quickly, the skin and fascia that were stretched to accommodate the fuller face have nothing to hold on to. The result is sagging along the jaw and loose, crepey skin on the neck.
How can face yoga help to address these concerns?
‘Face yoga, or facial training as I prefer to call it, works because it addresses the very things that rapid weight loss compromises,’ says Anastasia. ‘It is not about adding volume back artificially. It is about rebuilding the internal support system of your face from the inside out.’
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Face yoga exercises can help rebuild the support system of your face
Which exercises can help ’Ozempic face‘?
So, how can this translate into a simple routine, quick enough to do every day? Anastasia tells GH it consists of four simple exercises and takes just eight minutes – making it easy to fit into a busy day. ‘All of these of these exercises can be found in my book Face Yoga,’ she adds.
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The Big 6 Lymphatic Activation
‘This involves massaging six key drainage points in sequence. Begin at the collarbones and work through the neck, underarms, belly, groin, and behind the knees. This only takes about four minutes and opens up pathways so everything can flow.’
Marcel Nestler
Anastasia demonstrates the ’Big 6 Lymphatic Activation’
Marcel Nestler
The Neck Tap
‘To do this, tilt your head to one side and gently tap down your neck toward the shoulders, 30 seconds each side. This supports circulation and the jawline.’
Marcel Nestler
Anastasia demonstrates the neck tap
Marcel Nestler
The ‘Smiling “O”’
‘Form a narrow O with your mouth and smile diagonally upward using only your cheeks for 20 to 25 reps. This activates the zygomatic muscles that lift the mid face.’
Marcel Nestler
Anastasia demonstrates the ‘Smiling “O”’
The Cat Eye Lift
‘Press your palms gently into your temples, lift slightly, and squint downward. This instantly lifts the outer eye corners and reduces that tired, sagging look around the eyes.’
Marcel Nestler
Anastasia demonstrates the ’Cat Eye Lift’
Marcel Nestler
While these exercises are a strong starting point, Anastasia emphasises that lasting results come from understanding the deeper connections: ‘How your posture shapes your face, what actually causes your facial muscles to change, and why what you see in the mirror is a symptom, not the cause’.
‘Everything from dark circles, sagging, to a tired expression are signals from your body. Once you understand what is driving them, you can work with your face instead of against it. That is where lasting change begins.’
Face Yoga: Sculpt, Lift & Tone In Just 10 Minutes A Day by Anastasia Goron (DK, £16.99)
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