Prevalence Patterns of Body Contouring Procedures Among Injectable Glucagon-like Peptide-1 Receptor Agonist Users

• Published in: Aesthetic surgery journal 2024-09, Vol.44 (10), p.1072-1079
• Main Authors: Toms, 3rd, John A, O'Neill, Elizabeth, Wiegmann, Aaron L, Adepoju, Jubril, Raj, Mamtha S
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Body Contouring - methods; Databases, Factual; Female; Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 Receptor - agonists; Humans; Hypoglycemic Agents - administration & dosage; Injections; Liraglutide - administration & dosage; Male; Middle Aged; Retrospective Studies; United States; Weight Loss - drug effects
• ISSN: 1090-820X; 1527-330X; 1527-330X
• DOI: 10.1093/asj/sjae085

The introduction of injectable glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists such as Ozempic (Novo Nordisk, Plainsboro, NJ) and Wegovy (Novo Nordisk Inc.) has transformed weight loss in plastic surgery patients, often leading to excess skin and soft tissue amenable to body contouring procedures. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between injectable GLP-1 receptor agonist use and the growing need for body contouring surgeries, focusing on trunk and extremity procedures. A retrospective analysis of the PearlDiver database (PearlDiver, Inc., Colorado Springs, CO) was conducted, examining prescription data for Ozempic, Wegovy, and liraglutide, and correlating these with body contouring procedures across 30 US states from 2011 to 2022. Multimodal statistics were used to compare surgery rates and assess dosage and time interval patterns among GLP-1 receptor agonist users and nonusers. Significant correlations between GLP-1 receptor agonist use (881 Ozempic, 59 Wegovy, and 4655 liraglutide users) and increased body contouring surgeries were found. Ozempic showed weak correlations with brachioplasty (r = 0.23) and panniculectomy (r = 0.21), and Wegovy with breast procedures (r = 0.28), while liraglutide showed consistent correlations across surgeries. Time to surgery varied from 87 days (Wegovy) to 1018 days (liraglutide), with higher surgery rates among users (P < .01) and dose-related differences, especially in Ozempic and Wegovy users. This study demonstrates a dose-dependent link between the use of GLP-1 receptor agonists and an increase in subsequent aesthetic body contouring surgeries, highlighting the need for surgeons to adapt to the merging of medicinal body transformation and aesthetic plastic surgery.