What causes Ozempic face and how to avoid it
Dr. Jason Fung reveals the science of facial fat loss, subcutaneous vs. visceral fat,
and how to lose weight without damaging your appearance.
Have you ever seen someone lose a lot of weight but end up looking tired, old, or
even sickly? You might’ve heard the term “Ozempic Face” — a phrase describing the
hollow cheeks, sunken eyes, and wrinkled skin people often get after rapid weight
loss through appetite-suppressing drugs or extreme calorie restriction.
But here's the good news: Fasting doesn’t cause Ozempic Face. In fact, it can protect
your facial appearance while helping you lose dangerous internal fat and reverse
metabolic diseases like type 2 diabetes.
In this powerful video, Dr. Jason Fung breaks down the real science behind facial fat
loss and explains why intermittent fasting is a healthier, smarter, and more natural
way to lose fat — without compromising your skin, face, or youthfulness.
�� What You'll Learn in This Video:
✅ Why people get “Ozempic Face” after extreme dieting or GLP-1 drugs
✅ The critical difference between subcutaneous fat (under the skin) and visceral fat (around
your organs)
✅ How fasting triggers growth hormone, autophagy, and fat-beiging to help preserve skin
elasticity and bone health
✅ Real-world examples: How fasting users look healthier compared to drug-induced weight
loss
✅ Why fasting helps your body burn harmful internal fat and retain healthy facial fat
✅ How brown fat activation boosts metabolism and supports long-term fat loss
✅ Key findings from recent clinical studies (2022–2025) on time-restricted eating, low-carb
diets, and belly fat reduction
�� Topics Covered:
00:00 – Introduction:
00:20 – Why Celebrities Look Unhealthy After Weight Loss
Sunken eyes, hollow cheeks, and the loss of subcutaneous fat explained.
00:40 – Fasting vs. Appetite Suppressants: A Visual Comparison
See how fasting results in healthier, more natural-looking weight loss.
02:17 – What Causes “Ozempic Face”?
The science behind subcutaneous fat loss and facial aging.
02:53 – Fasting Preserves Facial Fat: Here’s Why
How fasting differs hormonally from calorie restriction or weight-loss drugs.
03:30 – 5 Reasons Why Fasting Prevents 'Ozempic Face'.
04:56 – Visceral vs. Subcutaneous Fat
05:05 – Brown Fat vs. White Fat
05:58 – Growth Hormone Boost: How Fasting Enhances Skin & Bone Health
Fasting increases skin elasticity and supports tissue regeneration.
06:24 – Study: 600 Calorie Diet vs. Fasting on Visceral Fat
Why fasting removes more harmful fat without damaging your appearance.
07:00 – 2022 Study: Time-Restricted Eating vs. Low Carb Diet
Which method burns more visceral fat and improves blood sugar control?
08:13 – New 2025 Study: Early vs. Late Fasting and Abdominal Fat
Research proves timing matters in fat loss and metabolic benefits.
08:50 – White Fat, Brown Fat, and “Beiging” Explained
Fasting promotes brown fat growth to burn more calories and boost metabolism.
09:50 – Final Thoughts: Fasting is the Smarter Way to Lose Fat
Why fasting protects your appearance while improving your health.
��⚕️ About Dr. Jason Fung:
Dr. Fung is a Canadian nephrologist and a globally recognized expert in intermittent
fasting, diabetes reversal, and natural health strategies. His work has helped
thousands of people regain their health and confidence — without starving,
struggling, or aging faster.
�� Who Should Watch This Video?
✔️ Anyone losing weight and concerned about aging or “gaunt face”
✔️ People using or considering GLP-1 medications (Ozempic, Wegovy, etc.)
✔️ Individuals with type 2 diabetes, insulin resistance, or prediabetes
✔️ Those following intermittent fasting, keto, or low-carb diets
✔️ Anyone who wants to lose fat the right way — and look good doing it!
▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
�� BOOKS:
�� The Obesity Code – Reviewing underlying physiology of weight loss and how lo
carb diets and fasting can help. ?…
�� The Diabetes Code – Reviewing how type 2 diabetes is a reversible disease an
dietary strategies. ?…
�� The Cancer Code – Scientific exploration of how cancer develops
?…
�� Amazon:
�� USA –
�� Canada –
▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
�� Please visit our :-
�� Website –
�� Blog- / drjasonfung
�� Community-
�� Facebook – / jason.fung.313
�� Instagram – / drjasonfung
�� Twitter – / drjasonfung
▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
�� YouTube Medical Lectures (for specialist physicians)
▶️ The Roots of the Obesity Epidemic: https: // • The Obesity Epidemic, Explained
▶️ Therapeutic Fasting – The Two Compartment Problem:https: // • Fasting and
Weight Loss – Solving the…
▶️ Does Calorie Counting work?: • Why Calorie Counting rarely leads to …
▶️ Two Big Lies of Type 2 Diabetes: • Two Big Lies about Type 2 Diabetes
Holy smokes. That Ozempic face is from horror movies. They look like they went through starvation.
This horror face is what some people imagine fasting does to you, because they equate time-restrictive eating with starvation. A bit ironic.
Even long term water fasting doesn’t do it. There is no starvation response if you get into ketosis. You’re burning fat and producing ketones.
What they call “starvation response” is the body consuming protein. This happens when insulin is too high – usually from eating carbs while restricting calories – fat can’t be tapped and the body is relying on glucose. The body converts protein to glucose.
The irony is the person is putting themselves into starvation mode by trying to prevent starvation mode. This is another reason why calorie restriction result in lots of excess skin.
And most studies show that the body doesn’t consume muscle until body fat is around 5%.
They went through starvation. Ozempic just make them to don’t care. About food, for some about life and they off them self.
Weight loss via fasting involves processes that get rid of excess skin and make you look healthy because, well, you are healthy. You simply cannot mimic health with chemical drugs.
Because Autophagy …
@@BrunchwiththeBradleys Autophagy and more, like elevated HGH levels in a fasted state and so on. I’m certain science hasn’t even discovered many of these things yet.
Thank you , Jason, for the insightful content , great learning experience on fasting and visceral fat loss ..
Finally someone who explains why all of a sudden many of my clients look like cancer patients.
Thank you for the info, Doctor. Much appreciated!
What do you do?
@@Rubylily2509 obviously reflexology
💯
I haven’t trusted big pharma since covid and never will again.
Really great information. Fasting is so healthy.
Thanks, Dr Fung. Your self-effacing expertise continues. I consider myself fortunate to be one of those whose health and wellbeing have been and are being profoundly improved after decades of obesity.
Interesting as always! You’re always cutting edge in the science. Thank you.
This was a really informative video
Thanks
And fasting is free
And fasting is free ❤
LOVE fasting! I look AND feel amazing!
IF and eating good food IS my Ozempic. I lost 60 pounds and kept it off. I don’t look like a survivor of a catastrophe. 😮 Glad to watch your videos, Dr Fung. 🎊 🎊 🎉
Same! 🙌
But if you want to keep that weight off, you have to stay on Ozempic for the rest of your life.
Try the carnivore way of eating with intermittent fasting. And once you are fat adapted, you can fast much easier.
In case you’re wondering what “fat adapted” means, it means that your body will start running on fat for energy instead of sugar or glucose and carbs.
When people are on these “GLP-1 mimicking” drugs such as Ozempic and Wegovy, they tend to still eat whatever they want. But those people are still eating junk, highly processed junk with all the carbs and the sugar and all the other toxins. Even if you limit those junk foods, you’re still taking in toxins.
Carnivores on the other hand, actually activate their own GLP-1 hormone with the animal products that we eat.
Don’t fall for the dupes out there. Go for the real thing which is the carnivore way of eating.
There are also GLP-1 activating supplements that you can take which work naturally with your own GLP-1 in your own body and do not paralyzed your stomach.
These “GLP-1 mimicking” drugs such as Ozempic and Wegovy actually slow down your digestive system so that the food can stay in your stomach for a longer period of time, in order to make you feel full for a longer time. The only way that those drugs could do that is to paralyze your stomach. Do you know what that can do to you? I would stop if I were you. Well, if I were you, I would not have started those drugs in the first place.
Have ur skin improved or u lost elasticity ?
sorry, I’ve done all of the above, Saxenda, fasting and Carnivore. When I fasted I had sagging skin, more wrinkles, etc. you just don’t get away from that with weight loss. I think you are cherry picking people that lost and presented results in various ways and not everyone is the same with weight loss even on different ways they have lost. The deal is, after you’ve lost and you gain a few lbs back, face fills out and looks more normal – if you maintain for a lonnnnnggggg time – sagging skin gets pulled back in as the body adjusts. It’s not a one size fits all. So many variables – be realistic. Carnivore now – feel better than I’ve felt in years. Not losing fast, but losing steady and the energy, the strength, etc unbelievable results. Off all meds and I was on 4 heart meds + more.
What’s ur point ?
@@anir8023the point I got is you might still get saggy skin even with fasting because everyone is different. Helpful for me so going into it expecting some saggy skin. Truthful I guess
Perhaps, it’s the fat loss in the face area that improved my sleep apnea drastically? Zepbound has been magically for me and I only lost 12lbs so far.
You are insane
So far I’ve lost 35 lbs between Carnivore, OMAD and 100 hours water fast in 4 months. Finally I got to my ideal weight. No Ozempic for me cus I’m a cheap SOB.
I love fasting, thanks to all the podcasts you were guest Dr Jason Fung, I love it even better, because you are genuine and all you say and explain, true and make sense.
You are so inspiring, Dr Fung 🌸
I thought I would give IF a chance before seeking out ozempic and I am so glad I did! I started at 184 in January and now I’m down to 145 using IF and keto. No facial changes other than a minimal loss of facial fat.
Rolling 72s and 96s saved my life. Lost 80 lbs and have kept it off
Did ur skin sag ?
@@anir8023 Yes, for about 6 months but eventually it went away because I kept fasting doing OMAD (20:4 window). Weight lifting also helped a lot
I love the youthful appearance of chubby cheeks, also a reason I could never get behind buckle fat removal