Rise of Ozempic BBLs: Appointments ‘double’ at clinics as weight-loss drugs leave patients with sagging buttocks
Plastic surgeons are reporting that more and more women are going under the knife for a Brazilian butt lift after suffering from sunken buttocks as a result of Ozempic weight loss.
A plastic surgeon in New York City reported that the number of BBL appointments has “doubled” in the past year, while a second doctor in Las Vegas said his practice has seen a “huge 50 percent increase” in bookings.
Surgeons and medical spas in Florida also reported seeing a “marked increase” in requests from Ozempic users seeking buttock reconstruction.
Ozempic and similar weight loss drugs such as Wegovy have become extremely popular, with 15.5 million Americans having tried them to lose weight.
But the rapid weight loss that people experience has led to sagging buttocks, also known as ‘Os which are called Olympic butts’, and has led them to seek cosmetic surgery to restore their full buttocks.
The above photos by Dr. Christopher Costa show before (left) and after (right) a BBL performed on a woman who had used a popular weight loss supplement
These images, also from Dr. Costa, show another woman’s backside as she came in after using a weight loss drug (left) and tracking her BBL (right)
Dr Christopher Costa, who runs Platinum Plastic Surgery in Las Vegas, told DailyMail.com: ‘Many of these people suffer from ‘Ozempic butt’, where rapid weight and muscle loss leads to a flabby, flat appearance (of the buttocks).
‘They often lose significant volume in their buttocks and have less definition in their waist and hips, causing the buttocks to appear sunken, droopy and out of proportion to the rest of their body.’
He added: ‘I see many patients who are delighted with their weight loss but are discouraged by the impact it has on their bottom, which makes them feel less confident.’
Surgeons report that most of their patients are between 20 and 40 years old and have typically lost more than 20 pounds using weight loss medications.
Typically, the weight loss is not proportional and women who come in for a BBL appear to have lost the most weight around their hips, buttocks and thighs, but they still have excess weight in their abdominal area.
The back is one of the main places where subcutaneous fat, or fat directly under the skin, accumulates. This fat is quickly lost during weight loss.
It also contains a group of three large muscles, the glutes, which can shrink if a person takes diet pills without exercising and following a high-protein diet.
Dr. Derrick Antell, a plastic surgeon in New York City, also reported on the increase in appointments, saying, “We’re seeing a lot of these patients who were on Ozempic but now they’re left with a sagging, drooping butt, so to speak. A BBL is like a facelift for a butt, and it’s going to help restore the appearance of it.”
He said his clinic normally only did 50 BBLs a year, but this year that number has doubled to 100.
Plastic surgeons perform two major operations to restore volume to the buttocks of people who use weight-loss drugs.
If the patient still has abdominal fat, the fat cells are removed from this area and placed in the buttocks to restore volume.
In the second procedure, buttock augmentation, surgeons make an incision along the bottom of the buttocks, remove a piece of excess skin in a croissant shape, and then pull it up to lift and tighten the area.
This procedure can also transfer fat from other parts of the body to the buttocks to restore their shape.
According to surgeons, BBLs typically cost between $8,000 and $15,000.
In some cases, Ozempic users also choose to have fillers injected into their buttocks to restore their shape.
Filler is a fluid injected under the skin to add volume. It is often used on the face to minimize wrinkles and give patients a more youthful appearance.
For 20 injections, the cost is about $6,500. According to medical spas, patients are usually between 40 and 50 years old and have already lost at least 50 pounds.
However, patients who receive a filler in their buttocks will need to have re-injections every six months to two years, as the body naturally absorbs the filler over time. A BBL, on the other hand, is considered a permanent solution.
Marlee Bruno, who owns the Mind Body & Soul Medical medical spa in Pensacola, Florida, told DailyMail.com that the number of patients coming to her medical spa for fillers has doubled in the past year and a half.
BBLs hit record high in 2023 as buttock augmentations also appear to be on the rise
BBLs were popularized by celebrities like Kim Kardashian and Iggy Azalea and rose to fame in the mid-2010s.
Surgeons now suspect that the procedure is gaining a new fan base thanks to the Ozempic craze.
About 1.7 percent of Americans, or 5.6 million people, will be prescribed a weight loss medication in 2023, according to a data analysis from healthcare company Epic Research.
That’s forty times as many as five years earlier, when it was estimated that only a few hundred thousand Americans used the drug.
Surveys this year show that six percent of American adults, or 15.5 million people, have now tried a weight-loss drug.
Dr. Michael Jones of Lexington Plastic Surgeons in New York City adds: ‘The assumption was that patients who lost weight on their own with Ozempic might no longer need treatments like liposuction.
‘However, what we are now seeing is a new trend: patients who were previously too heavy to be eligible for surgery are now using Ozempic to lose enough weight to bring their BMI into a safe range for cosmetic procedures.’
Last year, a record 29,400 people earned a BBL in the United States, up three percent from the year before and 20 percent from 2018, when weight-loss drugs first became available.
There was a decline in 2020, with 21,000 BBLs performed. However, surgeons said this was due to the Covid pandemic and people being reluctant to leave their homes.
Surgeons also report improvements in other procedures that address loose skin due to weight loss, including tummy tucks and arm lifts.
Dr. Smita Ramanadham, a New Jersey plastic surgeon, told this website, “BBLs have remained relatively stable for me, but I am seeing an increase in arm lifts and tummy tucks, as well as breast lifts due to weight loss.”
Besides the fact that Ozempic and similar weight loss drugs cause you to lose weight in unwanted places, they are also associated with a lot of unpleasant side effects.
In addition to nausea and vomiting while taking the injections, patients have also reported that their hair “fell out in clumps” due to the drug. There have also been reports of users experiencing poor mental health and suicidal thoughts.