GLP-1 weight-loss medications have completely changed the conversation around weight management. But while so much of the focus is understandably on the number coming down on the scales, there’s another conversation beginning to happen in clinics, treatment rooms and increasingly online: what happens to our skin and face when we lose a significant amount of weight?
It’s something that came up during the recent conversation on the Elle Sera Podcast with Justine Masters, aka The Alternative Facialist, a holistic skin therapist and pro-age specialist whose entire philosophy is based around looking after skin from the inside as well as the outside Justine feels particularly strongly about women waiting until after they’ve lost weight to start thinking about their skin.
"When we lose a significant amount of weight, we don’t get to choose exactly where that weight disappears from. Facial volume can change too, which can affect the appearance of our cheeks, jawline and skin. When that weight loss happens relatively quickly, the difference in the mirror can sometimes feel more dramatic than expected.
It’s where phrases such as “Ozempic face” have entered our vocabulary, although we’re not particularly fond of the term. It can imply that the medication itself is somehow attacking or prematurely ageing your face, when changes in facial volume and skin appearance can happen with significant weight loss generally"
What we do think is worth discussing is how we support our bodies while that change is happening.
Why Justine says: think about collagen now
During the podcast, Justine makes her position pretty clear: “When you go onto the weight-loss jabs, you should have a collagen straight away.” But eqaully why wait until you’ve completed a period of significant weight loss, noticed changes in your skin and then start thinking about how you’re looking after it?
Collagen is one of the major structural proteins found within our skin. It’s also something we naturally produce less of as we get older. So if your body is already undergoing a significant physical transformation, there’s a perfectly sensible argument for thinking about skin support during the journey rather than only afterwards.
It’s also why we think it’s important to understand what you’re actually buying when you choose a collagen supplement.
Our Elle Sera Liposomal Tripeptide Collagen provides 2,600mg of Liposomal Tripeptide Collagen per daily unicadose, including the tripeptide sequence Gly-Pro-Hyp, alongside Vitamin C, Vitamin A, Vitamin E, biotin, zinc and lycopene.
And no, the fact that you’re taking collagen doesn’t mean you can forget about protein.
That was another really important part of Justine’s conversation. If a GLP-1 means your appetite and overall food intake have reduced considerably, good nutrition becomes incredibly important. Justine talks about protein alongside collagen when discussing weight-loss injections, and the two shouldn’t be confused.
Collagen isn't a replacement for eating adequate protein. Nor is it a replacement for resistance exercise, hydration, a balanced diet, sleep or looking after your skin externally. It’s one part of a much bigger picture.
Perhaps we need to stop waiting until afterwards
This was the part of the conversation that really stuck with us.
We have a funny habit in wellness of waiting for the problem and then desperately searching for the solution. We lose the weight, notice that our face looks different and suddenly find ourselves Googling collagen, facials, microneedling, lasers and approximately 74 different creams at 11pm.
Justine’s philosophy is much more proactive. Throughout the episode she talks about supporting skin from both directions — what we put onto it and what we do for our bodies internally. She applies that thinking to ageing, treatments and significant physical changes.
And perhaps that's the more useful conversation around GLP-1s.
If you're taking prescribed weight-loss medication, your medical and nutritional care should always come first. Make sure you're eating appropriately, prioritising adequate protein and looking after your muscle as well as watching the scales.
But your skin is part of your body too.
So rather than frightening women with headlines about “Ozempic face”, we'd much rather encourage them to think about supporting themselves properly throughout the process.
Look after the body that's changing, while it's changing.
And if collagen is going to be part of that routine, Justine's question is a pretty compelling one:
Why wait until afterwards?
