Blockbuster weight loss drug Ozempic can cause a surprising side effect in your feet, doctors say – and some celebrities are already showing signs.
‘Ozempic feet’ refers to sagging or aging skin on the feet due to rapid fat loss — and it’s the latest addition to a growing list of concerns that includes ‘Ozempic face’ and ‘Ozempic butt’, both caused by dramatic changes in body fat.
While the drug has taken Hollywood by storm, experts warn the cosmetic downsides are catching up.
Dr Barry Weintraub, a New York-based board certified plastic surgeon, told DailyMail.com a loss of fat can impact water retention in the body and cause excessive sagging in the feet.
Ozempic, along with sister drug Mounjaro, is approved to treat type 2 diabetes but is widely used off-label for weight loss — especially among celebrities.
Figures from 2024, which are likely an undercount, suggest one in eight Americans have taken a GLP-1 drug like Ozempic.
Now, fans are speculating stars like Sharon Osbourne and Oprah Winfrey — both of whom have admitted to taking weight-loss dugs — may be among the first to show signs of the surprising foot-related side effect.
Sharon Osbourne took to Instagram to share a cozy picture of herself with her two-year-old grandson and pet dog
TV spectators have also noticed excessive wrinkling on Oprah Winfrey’s feet
Osbourne, 72, recently posted an Instagram photo with her grandson — but eagle-eyed commenters were quick to point out signs of extreme weight loss.
Similarly, TV spectators have also noticed excessive wrinkling on 71-year-old Oprah’s feet when the American host and television producer was seen onstage at the 55th NAACP Image Awards at Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles.
The skin on the top of the foot is delicate, thin and has lower fat reserves than the bottom or sole of the foot.
As you age, the fat pads in the foot can become even more scarce and lead to loose skin and wrinkles.
However, taking weight loss drugs such as Ozempic and Mounjaro can significantly reduce the fat reserves in the whole body, including the feet – leading to excessive sagging and wrinkles due to muscle loss, Dr Weintraub said.
Her followers highlighted the strange wrinkling on Osbourne’s feet in her Instagram post from April 5.
The star’s perfectly smooth facial complexion, which some users claimed was achieved with a filter, contrasted heavily with her feet.
One Instagrammer commented: ‘Beautiful airbrushed photo but feet tell your age’.
Another quipped: ‘How strange when the skin on your hands and feet don’t match the skin on your face’.
Dr Weintraub explained to this website: ‘Without having had the opportunity to examine Sharon in person, the veiny and sagging skin the top and sides of the foot might be a result of the new lack of water retention due to a decreased BMI cause by Ozempic or other such weight-loss drug.
Fans have called out popstar Christina Aguilera for being on a weight-loss drug but the singer has not commented on the matter
‘As the heart becomes less taxed with extra weight, the water retention decreases, and the substructures of the foot (veins, tendons, bones) often become more visible.’
Osbourne hasn’t commented on the potential side effect but has previously noted she had to stop taking Ozempic because she was losing too much weight.
In 2023, Winfrey admitted to using a GLP-1 drug to shed nearly 50 pounds after decades of yo-yo dieting.
Dr Barry Weintraub, a New York-based board certified plastic surgeon told DailyMail.com that a loss of fat can impact water retention and cause excessive sagging in the feet
She is yet to comment on which weight loss drug she took, but said she nearly reached her goal weight of 160 pounds (72kg).
In February, Winfrey was photographed at the NAACP Image Awards where the skin on the top of her feet looks looser and more saggy.
Winfrey hasn’t commented on any side effects she’s experienced while on Ozempic.
Once the ambassador for the diet program WeightWatchers, she stepped down after admitting to using a weight-loss drug.
She now refers to the drugs as a ‘maintenance tool’ and not a quick fix for dropping pounds.
Earlier this year, the media mogul said taking weight-loss drugs, like Ozempic and Wegovy, helped her realize the truth about ‘thin people.’
‘One of the things that I realized the very first time I took a GLP-1 was that all these years I thought that thin people had more willpower,’ Winfrey confessed.
‘They ate better foods. They were able to stick to it longer. They never had a potato chip.’
To fix Ozmepic feet, Dr Weintraub told DailyMail.com: ‘With the feet, it is possible to perform a “foot lift” with incisions located on the sides of the foot where they are more hidden.
‘In addition, Skinvive, a new injectable that is not a filler per se, but more of a skin plumper, can be injected in the skin of the foot much as it is used in the hands to disguise the protrusive bones and tendons.’
Katy Perry ignited rumors she was suffering from Ozempic face after she appeared on the red carpet with a much slimmer physique and gaunt-looking face
Ozempic feet are just the latest body part to be warped because of the rapid and drastic weight-loss turbocharged by Ozempic and similar drugs.
‘Ozempic face’ has increasingly been seen on celebrities, who look gaunt with sunken eyes, hollow cheekbones and sagging faces.
Katy Perry, Scott Disick and Jessica Simpson have all been labeled as suffering from the side effect after fans noticed their slimmed-down looks while the stars were out and about.
Additionally, the term ‘Ozempic butt’ has been coined to describe the deflated look of a person’s backside after GLP-1 weight loss.
Some users who have lost large amounts of weight said their backsides have now ‘completely disappeared’ and shrunk so much they can ‘feel every bone’.
Some even said the problem was so bad they were constantly covering up their buttocks because they are self conscious of the way it looks.
