Hairstylists, medical expert confirms this side effect for Ozempic users

Side effects from GLP-1s can vary, but one lesser-known reported outcome of the popular weight-loss medications is hair loss or thinning.Some hairstylists have confirmed an uptick in clients who complain about losing hair while on weight-loss journeys.This includes Ashley DiMatteo, owner of Ashley Lauren Beauty Lounge in Westchester, New York, and Briana Delvecchio, a color specialist and hairdresser at DiMatteo’s salon.The two spoke with Fox News Digital in an on-camera interview. “There has definitely been an increase in clients coming in with hair loss,” DiMatteo said, noting that it ranges from gradual to fast, and from thinning out to completely losing hair.Delvecchio agreed that she’s had “a few” clients come in reporting thinner and drier hair, which she suspects could be due to weight-loss drugs.The hairstylist, who herself takes a GLP-1 drug, said there may be a few reasons for hair changes, including new medications, vitamin deficiencies, and weight loss, which can put stress on the body.Becky Watt, an Ohio hairstylist with more than 20 years of experience, said she’s also noticed clients losing hair while taking weight-loss drugs. “I’ve seen thinning and shedding, and a lot of hair coming out very easily when being washed,” she told Fox News Digital.

“I have not noticed any bald spots.”She’s had some clients, however, who are taking the medications without any hair loss, Watt added.In a separate interview, Dr.Philip Rabito, an endocrinologist in New York City, said this reaction, called telogen effluvium, is a stress response to weight loss that affects the hair follicle.The response is only temporary, he noted.

The hair will fall out, then grow back once the weight loss stabilizes after a few months.“It’s a response to severe physical stress, and weight loss is considered starvation,” Rabito said.“It is the rapidity of the weight loss that correlates with the amount of hair loss.”Before weight-loss drugs, tradi...