Wall Street Journal: GLP-1s Are Influencing the Facial Work People Want

In the September 4, 2026 edition of The Wall Street Journal’s Wellness newsletter, reporter Sara Ashley O’Brien looks at how GLP-1 medications are reshaping the facial work people ask for. The overfilled look of plump lips and pillowy cheeks is losing its appeal, partly because people are shrinking on these drugs and their features have to scale down with them.The timing lined up with the American Society of Plastic Surgeons’ annual statistics report for 2025. According to the ASPS, 82% of member surgeons received consultation requests related to GLP-1 use last year, and of every cosmetic procedure tracked, facial fat grafting saw the most growth, up 39% over the year before.Facial fat grafting takes fat from elsewhere on the body, usually the abdomen, via liposuction, then places it in the face to restore volume lost with weight loss. The goal is not the “Ozempic face” that patients worry about, but a naturally filled-out version of themselves.Dr. Kelly Killeen, an ASPS member and board-certified plastic surgeon in Beverly Hills, told the Journal that facial fat grafting can sometimes be done right in the office, depending on how much fat is being placed and whether other procedures are involved. She said it can run from as little as $4,000 to more than $20,000 once add-ons like skin-tightening procedures are included.What struck the reporter most was Dr. Killeen’s warning about the “wild, wild west” of GLP-1s. Many people are taking them with little or no doctor oversight, sourcing the medication from telehealth companies or from online sellers that do not require a prescription at all. By the time those patients arrive for a preoperative consultation, some are not fit for surgery.“We have to be really careful as clinicians to make sure that they’re healthy and safe for surgery,” Dr. Killeen said. “It’s really surprising how many patients we see, especially ones that are self-servicing with these medicines, that have things going on that they don’t recognize.”She has had patients discover previously unknown thyroid disorders and kidney dysfunction during pre-op workups. She also regularly sees very low protein levels, which can mean poorer recovery from a procedure. All of these need to be treated or managed before anyone goes to the operating room.Dr. Killeen has been talking about the intersection of weight-loss drugs and plastic surgery for a while. See her earlier comments in the Los Angeles Times and The Ankler, or her explainer on how much fat actually survives after fat grafting.Read the full article on The Wall Street Journal (subscription required)Read the archived copy