Not The Edges! Why Ozempic Users Are Freaking Out Over Hair Loss

There’s a new, and admittedly frustrating, side effect making headlines for people taking GLP-1 weight-loss medications like Ozempic, Wegovy, and Mounjaro: hair loss. Before you panic and start eyeing your hairbrush suspiciously, there’s an important distinction to make. Experts say the medications themselves aren’t necessarily directly causing the hair loss, but there is a strong association between GLP-1 medications, rapid weight loss and hair shedding. Here’s why.

According to Dr. Lauren Kole, who spoke with HuffPost about the issue on Aug. 9, GLP-1 medications can trigger hair shedding because of the rapid physical stress placed on the body, along with sudden calorie or nutrient deficits that can accompany fast weight loss. This can lead to a common and usually temporary form of hair loss called telogen effluvium.

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Telogen effluvium happens when a shock, stressor, or significant change in the body pushes a large number of hair follicles into their resting phase. Then, two to three months later, those hairs can shed all at once,  which can make it seem like your hair suddenly decided to stage a mass exodus.

The good news? This type of hair loss is typically temporary, and hair generally grows back within six to 12 months.

“The most common reason [for hair loss] is a condition called telogen effluvium, which is when any type of stress on the body can cause the body to stop focusing on what it considers superfluous or unnecessary, such as hair growth, and focus on reducing that stress,” explained Kole, an associate professor of dermatology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, to HuffPost.

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