Glucagon-like peptides, or GLP-1s, are medications that mimic hormones and have been shown to regulate your body’s blood sugar and your appetite. GLP-1s can slow your digestion process and cause a sense of fullness.
Due to their effectiveness in promoting weight loss, GLP-1 prescriptions grew a stunning 38% per year from 2022 to 2024.
Along with this growth came a rise in patient demand for aesthetic practices to help with changes they experience as they lose substantial weight in a short time. Below, we discuss the top four GLP-1 trends in aesthetics and how practices can take advantage of these trends to grow their businesses during this unique window of opportunity.
4 Top GLP-1 Trends in Aesthetics
As GLP-1s dominate the weight loss market, it opens up an entirely new category of individuals seeking aesthetic providers. The following are the most prevalent GLP-1 aesthetics trends that are shaping the industry.
Trend 1: Increase in Post-Weight-Loss Aesthetic Needs
Individuals who lose a significant amount of weight quickly using GLP-1s often become aware of their aesthetic needs after losing weight. In a recent survey, 400 specialists in advanced practice, dermatology, and plastic surgery reported a significant increase in patients using GLP-1s.
For many of these individuals, their physical concerns start with what some call “Ozempic Face,” a hollowed, aged appearance resulting from rapid subcutaneous fat loss. Fat pads in their cheeks, temples, and around their eyes sag, hollow, and appear to rapidly age.
People experience a decline in skin quality resulting from the impact of their weight loss on adipose tissue, collagen production, and muscle mass. They worry about how to improve sagging jowls, hollowed cheeks, nasolabial folds, and crepey skin.
To help with this, MedShiftRx offers Radiesse® (+), an FDA-approved injectable filler that restores facial volume and smooths deep lines. RADIESSE (+) stimulates an individual’s natural collagen to help keep cheeks, jawline, and lower face looking full during rapid weight loss from GLP-1 therapies.
Hyperdiluted Radiesse has been shown to improve cheek fullness and soften lines around the nose and mouth for individuals experiencing rapid weight loss on GLP-1s.
Trend 2: Shift Toward Combination Protocols
Because of their popularity, GLP-1s are cutting into body contouring revenue for aesthetics providers, but at the same time, the rapid weight loss they cause creates new physical conditions that require aesthetic solutions.
Depleted subcutaneous fat, declining collagen and elastin production, and laxity are all commonly caused by the significant weight loss associated with GLP-1s.
When providers can offer a combined protocol that pairs radiofrequency, microneedling, lasers, and biostimulators for skin tightening and skin quality restoration with weight loss, a whole new aesthetics model emerges.
Now, patients need continuous intervention across extended timelines, during active weight loss, at plateaus, and post-medication, to treat the physical side effects of their GLP-1 usage.
MedShiftRx offers peptide treatments like GLOW (GHK-Cu, BPC-157, TB500) for collagen support and skin repair, and NAD+ to boost cellular energy, improve metabolism, and preserve muscle mass for GLP-1 therapy patients.
Trend 3: Higher Spending and Repeat Visits
A survey of 174 medical spas (medspas) and other aesthetic centers revealed that 63% of patients who seek “facial aesthetic products or procedures” were not actively doing so before losing weight.
As of December 2024, US aesthetic patients are spending $160 million per month on weight loss treatments, which is ten times their spend in January 2021.
This new category of aesthetic customers represents a significant driver of potential profits for practices that respond to this market, as patients who use GLP-1s for an extended period discover their need for guidance on the right complementary aesthetic solutions.
The correlation between a 900% increase in spending on weight loss and the need for ongoing aesthetics that address their rising concerns regarding their appearance means long-term patients will be seeking practices that have all of the right solutions.
Trend 4: Expanded Services to Capture New Revenue
Medspas and aesthetic physician offices are adding GLP-1 prescriptions to their offerings. Their practices historically focused on neurotoxins, fillers, lasers, and body contouring. Expanding into GLP-1 weight loss creates a strategic opportunity to capture the downstream aesthetic treatments that patients often seek following significant weight loss.
GLP-1s and other weight loss/dietary treatments now account for 12% of all non-surgical aesthetics, the fourth largest segment after:
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Neurotoxins
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Dermal fillers
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Energy-based device procedures
Early movers capitalized when compounding pharmacies made GLP-1s accessible during FDA shortages. They developed operational expertise, established pharmacy relationships, and positioned themselves as integrated wellness providers. Practices entering now face tighter regulation, higher competition, and market leaders who've already captured local patient bases.
Today’s market rewards practices that partner with trusted, compliant suppliers. As oversight tightens amidst increasing competition, MedShiftRx provides the sustainable growth and support providers need, with fully vetted products and pharmacy partners. We help them navigate regulations, maintain credibility, and scale long-term growth.
Patient Insights You Can Act On
Understanding patient needs empowers today’s aesthetic providers to understand the importance of incorporating GLP-1s into their business model.
Patient Expectations
Individuals who have chosen GLP-1s for weight loss are looking for a provider who understands the side effects of this significant and rapid weight loss. They are seeking affordable ways to help with skin laxity, volume loss, and declining skin quality.
These individuals didn’t arrive at aesthetics by seeking physical enhancements beyond their weight loss in most cases. They are looking for cost-conscious, natural-looking corrections. They want options in regenerative processes like collagen stimulators, microneedling, and laser resurfacing, and need to be educated about what these treatments are doing to their skin.
Patients want to build a long-term relationship with providers, so practices should consider the potential for new pricing models like subscriptions, membership programs, or tiered payments that let patients spread the cost along an extended weight loss journey.
Patients need validation for their aesthetic concerns as a common side effect of their weight loss, with clear communication on what is preventable, what can be reversed, and what are the best options to consider.
Bundling Services
Pair GLP-1 prescriptions with aesthetics that address skincare needs with strategically designed packages. For instance, offer an entry-level package that includes medication, skincare, and neurotoxins. Provide a mid-tier option to address laxity with radiofrequency or laser. A premium bundle could combine multiple treatments for comprehensive solutions.
Operational Changes
Train your staff so they can educate newcomers to the aesthetics space. Design consultations to address stages of treatment over an extended timeline. Market your brand for comprehensive weight loss and aesthetics. Establish protocols for every aspect of operations, including compliance and products that are the most appropriate for individual patient regimens.
New Service Opportunities
Patients are interested in regenerative treatments like collagen stimulators and biostimulators, RF microneedling, laser resurfacing, and regenerative injectables. Every new treatment that shows promise for tightening skin on a patient’s face, abdomen, arms, and thighs is a potential offering you can package together with weight loss treatment.
With the explosive growth in GLP-1 treatments, practices can innovate new consultation formats. By providing education on treatment impacts, you can strategically highlight additional services to optimize patient outcomes.
The Future of GLP-1s in Aesthetics
To successfully enter the GLP-1 space, you need a reliable and compliant supplier. MedShiftRx provides your practice with curated clinical-use GLP-1 products sourced through trusted US partners that uphold our high pharmaceutical-grade standards.
We partner with 503A pharmacies that meet state and federal compliance requirements, USP standards, and rigorous quality protocols. We also source from facilities certified under cGMP and ISO:9001 that utilize FDA Green List APIs, guaranteeing safety and reliability across all formulations.
Long-Term Growth
As GLP-1 therapies become more accessible, practices already offering them are perfectly positioned for sustained growth, because GLP-1-based weight management opens the door for long-term patient guidance. As they build trust, continuity, and loyalty around the effectiveness of GLP-1 therapies, practices can engage patients in an ongoing, broad range of services that support positive clinical outcomes.
Evolving Treatment Pathways
Regenerative aesthetics combined with weight loss protocols will become the new standard of care. Treatment will shift toward proactive weight management—not just a reactive course for obesity.
Regenerative medical advances like exosomes, growth factors, and gene therapies will target collagen and elastin restoration, shaping a future that mitigates many of the downsides of accelerated weight loss options.
Integrated Wellness Will Emerge
Patients will view weight loss and aesthetics as a merged wellness practice, connecting appearance management with weight management. This will mirror healthcare’s slow progress toward merging fitness, nutrition, mental health, and aesthetics as holistic wellness solutions.
Strategic Advantages of Early Adoption
The writing is already on the wall: The medical weight loss industry is projected to increase to $54.4 billion by 2035—growth that’s driven by the contribution of GLP-1 medications. Practices offering GLP-1s have increased their revenue; those that do not are seeing losses.
First movers will control the new aesthetics markets, with brand positioning that reflects market domination by these integrated practices.
Every month that a practice delays adding GLP-1s will take years for them to catch up, while market leaders are filling their databases with long-term patients and robust referrals.
Drive Revenue with MedShiftRx's GLP-1 Solutions
Don’t waste valuable time hunting down the right pharmacy partnerships. Let MedShiftRx be your strategic growth partner so you can focus on scaling your practice.
MedShiftRx offers GLP-1 S and GLP-1 T in injectable and oral formulations through our vetted pharmacy partners. Get consistent supply, marketing materials, clinical dosing guides, and all of the support you need to build your weight loss revenue stream.
