We’ve all heard about them: GLP 1 medications, the revolutionary weight loss treatments that aren’t just transforming lives but also driving demand for specific plastic surgery procedures across the globe. While nutrition and exercise were once the key drivers behind weight loss, today GLP 1 medications are the go-to for people wanting to take significant leaps in trimming down. Simultaneously, this means significant demand for key cosmetic procedures – lifts and contouring – to remove excess skin, tighten and refine.
Cosmetic and reconstructive plastic surgery procedures all have their time in the popularity stakes, however some are set to retain their top position for the long term. And thanks to the rise of GLP 1 medications, lift procedures are soaring in demand, reports the latest American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) Annual Plastic Surgery Statistics 2025 Report. In a companion study conducted alongside 2025’s procedural statistics, 82 percent of ASPS Member Surgeons reported receiving consultation requests related to GLP-1 medications. GLP-related facelift consultations rose 71 percent, neck lift consults 64 percent, arm lift consults rose 22 percent, thigh lift consults 20 percent, abdominoplasty procedures performed rose to 173,251.
Loose skin and laxity are not the only issues people are seeking to address following significant weight loss. With rapid weight loss comes volume loss – particularly in the facial area – leading to what many have coined ‘Ozempic face’ as a result of soft tissue descent and reductions in facial fat. And, because we don’t possess the ability – yet – to target the specific body areas where we want to lose weight, the face is commonly one of the first areas to showcase signs of weight loss. In our youth fat in our faces is distributed evenly, with pockets that plump our temples, cheeks, eye area and forehead. With age these fat pockets lose volume, they clump and shift downward, and rapid weight loss can exacerbate the downward spiral and sunken look.
Fortunately its not all doom and gloom on the facial rejuvenation front – you can have your-lose-weight-and-look-rejuvenated cake and eat it too. Fat grafting is a longer lasting alternative to dermal fillers and utilises a patient’s own body fat to restore and volumize key areas of the face and is often performed alongside a facelift. During the procedure, fat is harvested from the hips, thighs or abdomen, purified and reinjected into areas like the cheeks, tear troughs, and nasolabial folds. While some fat is reabsorbed naturally over time, on average 60% of the transferred fat survives. Fat grafting is also commonly performed in conjunction with a breast lift to fill out the upper part of breast to minimise gapping when wearing bras and tops, smoothen out any breast asymmetries to balance and proportion and restore volume.
With weight loss medications set to play the long-game, the upshot for body and facial procedures, is that surgical planning is now centred on a whole-body approach – a comprehensive consideration of all post-weight loss goals, rather than a single concern. Ultimately, placing yourself and your body in the hands of a trusted and certified cosmetic and reconstructive plastic surgeon, who evaluates and performs a comprehensive body contouring and post-weight loss reconstruction, is essential to best – and lasting – results for the long-term.
