EXCLUSIVE Shocking rise of 'Ozempic HANDS': New disturbing side effect of weight-loss jab leaving celebrities looking 'like the undead'
Experts have raised the alarm over a bizarre new side effect linked to weight-loss jabs - dubbed 'Ozempic hands '.
The term refers to the thinning, almost skeletal appearance of the hands and fingers reported in some people on drugs such as Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro.
As the treatment triggers rapid fat and muscle loss across the body, subcutaneous fat is also stripped from the hands - leaving bones, veins and tendons more prominent.
The phenomenon was recognised when the jabs first began to be widely used, and some patients reported needing to have wedding and engagement rings resized as their fingers slimmed down, along with their waistlines.
Now the trend is back in the spotlight after viral social media videos highlighted how the hands of certain celebrities appear to have changed dramatically over the years.
These have prompted a wave of online speculation about whether it might be an effect of weight-loss injections.
One clip, which has been viewed over three million times, focused on reality TV star Khloe Kardashian, comparing images of her hands recently and a decade before.
While the creator of the video didn't speculate as to the cause, social media users were quick to suggest it was due to blockbuster weight-loss drugs.
Clips on social media have compared Khloe's hands to images taken of the reality TV star in 2012, like this one. Khloe pictured here at the The X-Factor Finalists party that year
'It's Ozempic. My hands did that too,' commented one.
Experts speaking to MailOnline explain that fat loss to the hands can happen with any version of the drug, including Wegovy and Mounjaro.
Pharmacist and nutritional therapist Deborah Grayson, known as The Godmother of Pharmacology on TikTok, said: 'Ozempic hands is the visible thinning of fingers that can occur during rapid weight loss.
'As with weight loss in general, fat loss doesn't happen evenly across the body.
'The hands, which naturally have very little fat to begin with, can appear bonier or slimmer as a result.
'It's not a side effect of the medication itself, but rather a visual consequence of rapid fat loss.'
She added that it wasn't harmful, however the change would be permanent - unless the patient regained weight.
Cosmetic treatments such as injections of fillers to 'plump' and rejuvenate the hands may be one remedy, however these are specialist procedures and cost many hundreds of pounds.
GP Dr Donald Grant, a senior clinical advisor at The Independent Pharmacy, also said Ozempic hands or fingers was nothing to medically be concerned about.
But he added that patients on the drugs should still keep an eye on potential side effects and seek advice from their GP if needed.
'Should people experience increased side effect intensity or different reactions to the treatment, people should visit their GP, who can provide further advice,' he said.
'Anyone concerned about the amount of weight they're losing should also seek urgent medical attention.'
In the TikTok clip that sparked the new discussion of the side effect, a woman posting under the name 'atruthforyou' compared images of Khloe Kardashian's hands from 2012 to a picture taken in 2022.
In the latter, the star's fingers are noticeably thinner and appear longer.
'These are her hands today, like how, what is going on here?' she asked.
In a follow up video on Instagram she continued: 'You're telling me this hand transformation is just from weight loss? Guys come on.'
Some commentators said the hands looked like those of 'vampires', with one adding: 'Got them Nosferatu hands!'
Khloe Kardashian hasn't said she has used a weight-loss jab but previously did say she would have tried them when she was attempting to lose weight in her younger years.
In comments last year the 40-year-old said: 'When I was bigger, if they had Ozempic, I probably would have tried it, because I tried any other thing.
'I tried any fad weight-loss trend, except for the real thing that actually works, and that's a lifestyle change.'
Other stars who have confirmed they are using weight-loss jabs also appear to have thinner hands.
These include talkshow host Oprah Winfrey, and TV personality Sharon Osbourne.
Oprah, 71, revealed she lost more than three-and-a-half stone with the help of a weight-loss jab to help reach her goal weight of just under 12stone. The star weighed almost 17st at her heaviest.
Sharon, 72, disclosed earlier this year how she lose three stone in just four months while using Ozempic and now weighs just over seven stone.
Another star with slimmer fingers is Misery and American Horror Story actress Kathy Bates, who has lost more than seven stone after turning to Ozempic.
'Ozempic hands' is just the latest in a series of side effects people have speculated A-listers may be suffering from.
Another recent one to emerge is 'Ozempic feet' which refers to sagging or aging skin on the feet due to rapid fat loss that occurs while users are on the jabs.
'Ozempic feet' joins the likes of 'Ozempic face' and 'Ozempic butt', which are also caused by dramatic changes in body fat.
While blockbuster weight-loss jabs help slimmers lose up to a fifth of their body weight in only a year, this can come at price.
Earlier this year surgeons raised the alarm about the rising number of people suffering from issues with their body shape from rapid weight loss.
Cosmetic procedures such as thigh lifts and tummy tucks have enjoyed a post-Ozempic boom, as people seek to rid themselves of 'melted candle' excess skin folds left behind after they slim down.
While fat tissues shrink away, the skin - which has become stretched over time from a person being overweight - doesn't simply snap back.
In extreme and rapid cases of weight loss - such as that which occurs in people using weight-loss jabs - surgery can be the only remedy for this excess skin.
But it's not just a cosmetic issue; patients with excess skin can also suffer mobility problems and infections due to excess skin.
And if they choose to fix the issue with surgery, they also face the inescapable risk of surgical complications including blood clots.
The issue of the aesthetic aftermath of weight-loss jabs is only going to grow larger as the drugs are dished out to more and more people.
About 4,000 patients a month are prescribed GLP-1 drugs on the NHS in the UK, with almost 350,000 patients receiving the medications in 2024, though additionally 500,000 are thought to be taking the drugs privately.
And more could be on the way - as British GPs will be able to prescribe the jabs directly to patients from this month.
This is a shake-up from the previous system which required patients to attend a specialist NHS weight-loss clinic to get the jabs on the health service.
However, this will initially only be available for severely obese patients with multiple health conditions.
But it is expected more patients will be able to get the jabs from their family doctor as restrictions are relaxed over the next three years.
In the US, it is estimated about 13 per cent of the population - roughly 33million people - have tried the drugs at least once.
While the injections have been linked to multiple health benefits that go beyond combating obesity, including a reduced risk of heart attack and stroke, other studies suggest that could also carry some risks.
One recent study suggested they could raise the risk of a type of cancer that is surging in young people.
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North Wales Chronicle
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The drugs are sold under brand names like Mounjaro and Wegovy and work by reducing food cravings. Obese patients can currently be prescribed the jabs on the NHS after being referred to specialist weight loss clinics, which are usually located in hospitals. Hundreds of thousands of people also access the medication privately at pharmacies. There have been warnings about buying potentially unsafe jabs online from unregulated retailers and potentially missing out on wraparound support. Experts said the jabs should not be seen as the first option in weight loss and should be used in conjunction with lifestyle changes, such as eating more healthily and increasing exercise. Professor Graham Easton, a GP who has been using weight loss jabs himself, said: 'I think it's a major issue about the proper funding and resourcing of not only the GPs in the surgeries but also the wraparound care we talked about. 'I think the other issue is that so far, to my knowledge, the NHS and National Institute for Health and Care Excellence have talked about this being something you take for two years, and that's probably related to data from research studies. 'But as we discussed, this is likely to be a lifelong commitment if it is going to be worthwhile to the NHS. 'There's no point in most people taking it for a couple of years and then have the weight bouncing back. 'You can argue possibly you're about to prepare for surgery or something, but in most cases it doesn't make any sense. 'Then I think there's a big issue around access. Most obesity occurs in poorer populations as wealthier populations tend to not be so affected. 'There's a massive sort of socio-economic inequality and there is a worry about this driving that inequality even further. 'Unless the NHS makes sure that these are available across the board equally, I think that's a major risk.' Prof Easton said recent studies had shown people who stopped taking the drugs had put the weight they lost back on within around a year. 'That's often true of any diet, people would say, and that's certainly my experience of having wrestled with my weight in diets over the years,' he said. 'All I would say that I found interesting from that review was that they were suggesting perhaps that weight returns even quicker after having been on GLP-1 drugs. 'Then speculating, because there was no way of knowing from that review, that perhaps it's because people are not changing the behaviours we've been talking about like exercise and other lifestyle changes, just relying on the drugs. 'When you stop them, of course, you're going to put weight back on. The switch is turned back off, or whatever it was. 'I mean very similar to, for example, statins or anti-hypertensive blood pressure medications, if you want lifelong effects, you have to keep on them lifelong.' Prof Easton was speaking at an event at the Cheltenham Science Festival discussing the growing use of weight loss drugs with neurophysiologist Dr Simon Cork and consultant endocrinologist and obesity expert Dr Tony Goldstone. Dr Cork said the jabs have an important role to play in losing weight but are part of wider changes to diet and lifestyle. 'I think we have to understand that diet is always limited. People will tend to lose on average around 5% of their body weight on a diet,' he said. 'But you're hungry, you're miserable, you're tired, your wife hates you because you're so grumpy, you're not going to continue with that. 'But we should absolutely all be looking at our diet and all changing our diet, and doing something.' Dr Goldstone said weight loss drugs had been used in the treatment of diabetes for over a decade and had benefits of reducing the risk of developing other conditions. 'We're now in the third and fourth generation of these drugs, but the first generation of these drugs we've been using for 15 years for diabetes,' he said. 'There is nothing of concern that has emerged. In fact, all we're seeing are benefits. I'm not too worried about longer term side effects coming out. 'There is no real biological reason why there should be dangerous side-effects in the way that we know these drugs work. 'The benefits of the weight loss improvement in the diabetes are actually by themselves helping health and preventing other diseases, like cancer, heart attacks, renal failure, and potentially even reducing the risk of Alzheimer's disease. 'All those benefits, even if there was something that we hadn't really thought of that emerged down the line, I suspect that the harm of that is outweighed by the potential benefits of weight loss improvement in diabetes control.' Dr Cork said no drug is without side-effects and previous weight loss medications had failed because of them. 'There are side-effects, there are some concerning side-effects that tend to be very rare, but then you can monitor for those side-effects,' he said. 'As long as you're getting the correct care, as long as your GP is aware that you're taking them, then those should be identified. 'If you do find those side-effects, you can stop taking the drug.'
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The drugs are sold under brand names like Mounjaro and Wegovy and work by reducing food cravings. Obese patients can currently be prescribed the jabs on the NHS after being referred to specialist weight loss clinics, which are usually located in hospitals. Hundreds of thousands of people also access the medication privately at pharmacies. There have been warnings about buying potentially unsafe jabs online from unregulated retailers and potentially missing out on wraparound support. Experts said the jabs should not be seen as the first option in weight loss and should be used in conjunction with lifestyle changes, such as eating more healthily and increasing exercise. Professor Graham Easton, a GP who has been using weight loss jabs himself, said: 'I think it's a major issue about the proper funding and resourcing of not only the GPs in the surgeries but also the wraparound care we talked about. 'I think the other issue is that so far, to my knowledge, the NHS and National Institute for Health and Care Excellence have talked about this being something you take for two years, and that's probably related to data from research studies. 'But as we discussed, this is likely to be a lifelong commitment if it is going to be worthwhile to the NHS. 'There's no point in most people taking it for a couple of years and then have the weight bouncing back. 'You can argue possibly you're about to prepare for surgery or something, but in most cases it doesn't make any sense. 'Then I think there's a big issue around access. Most obesity occurs in poorer populations as wealthier populations tend to not be so affected. 'There's a massive sort of socio-economic inequality and there is a worry about this driving that inequality even further. 'Unless the NHS makes sure that these are available across the board equally, I think that's a major risk.' Prof Easton said recent studies had shown people who stopped taking the drugs had put the weight they lost back on within around a year. 'That's often true of any diet, people would say, and that's certainly my experience of having wrestled with my weight in diets over the years,' he said. 'All I would say that I found interesting from that review was that they were suggesting perhaps that weight returns even quicker after having been on GLP-1 drugs. 'Then speculating, because there was no way of knowing from that review, that perhaps it's because people are not changing the behaviours we've been talking about like exercise and other lifestyle changes, just relying on the drugs. 'When you stop them, of course, you're going to put weight back on. The switch is turned back off, or whatever it was. 'I mean very similar to, for example, statins or anti-hypertensive blood pressure medications, if you want lifelong effects, you have to keep on them lifelong.' 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'We're now in the third and fourth generation of these drugs, but the first generation of these drugs we've been using for 15 years for diabetes,' he said. 'There is nothing of concern that has emerged. In fact, all we're seeing are benefits. I'm not too worried about longer term side effects coming out. 'There is no real biological reason why there should be dangerous side-effects in the way that we know these drugs work. 'The benefits of the weight loss improvement in the diabetes are actually by themselves helping health and preventing other diseases, like cancer, heart attacks, renal failure, and potentially even reducing the risk of Alzheimer's disease. 'All those benefits, even if there was something that we hadn't really thought of that emerged down the line, I suspect that the harm of that is outweighed by the potential benefits of weight loss improvement in diabetes control.' Dr Cork said no drug is without side-effects and previous weight loss medications had failed because of them. 'There are side-effects, there are some concerning side-effects that tend to be very rare, but then you can monitor for those side-effects,' he said. 'As long as you're getting the correct care, as long as your GP is aware that you're taking them, then those should be identified. 'If you do find those side-effects, you can stop taking the drug.'
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The drugs are sold under brand names like Mounjaro and Wegovy and work by reducing food cravings. Obese patients can currently be prescribed the jabs on the NHS after being referred to specialist weight loss clinics, which are usually located in hospitals. Hundreds of thousands of people also access the medication privately at pharmacies. There have been warnings about buying potentially unsafe jabs online from unregulated retailers and potentially missing out on wraparound support. Experts said the jabs should not be seen as the first option in weight loss and should be used in conjunction with lifestyle changes, such as eating more healthily and increasing exercise. Professor Graham Easton, a GP who has been using weight loss jabs himself, said: 'I think it's a major issue about the proper funding and resourcing of not only the GPs in the surgeries but also the wraparound care we talked about. 'I think the other issue is that so far, to my knowledge, the NHS and National Institute for Health and Care Excellence have talked about this being something you take for two years, and that's probably related to data from research studies. 'But as we discussed, this is likely to be a lifelong commitment if it is going to be worthwhile to the NHS. 'There's no point in most people taking it for a couple of years and then have the weight bouncing back. 'You can argue possibly you're about to prepare for surgery or something, but in most cases it doesn't make any sense. 'Then I think there's a big issue around access. Most obesity occurs in poorer populations as wealthier populations tend to not be so affected. 'There's a massive sort of socio-economic inequality and there is a worry about this driving that inequality even further. 'Unless the NHS makes sure that these are available across the board equally, I think that's a major risk.' Prof Easton said recent studies had shown people who stopped taking the drugs had put the weight they lost back on within around a year. 'That's often true of any diet, people would say, and that's certainly my experience of having wrestled with my weight in diets over the years,' he said. 'All I would say that I found interesting from that review was that they were suggesting perhaps that weight returns even quicker after having been on GLP-1 drugs. 'Then speculating, because there was no way of knowing from that review, that perhaps it's because people are not changing the behaviours we've been talking about like exercise and other lifestyle changes, just relying on the drugs. 'When you stop them, of course, you're going to put weight back on. The switch is turned back off, or whatever it was. 'I mean very similar to, for example, statins or anti-hypertensive blood pressure medications, if you want lifelong effects, you have to keep on them lifelong.' Prof Easton was speaking at an event at the Cheltenham Science Festival discussing the growing use of weight loss drugs with neurophysiologist Dr Simon Cork and consultant endocrinologist and obesity expert Dr Tony Goldstone. Hundreds of thousands of people access weight-loss medication privately (PA) Dr Cork said the jabs have an important role to play in losing weight but are part of wider changes to diet and lifestyle. 'I think we have to understand that diet is always limited. People will tend to lose on average around 5% of their body weight on a diet,' he said. 'But you're hungry, you're miserable, you're tired, your wife hates you because you're so grumpy, you're not going to continue with that. 'But we should absolutely all be looking at our diet and all changing our diet, and doing something.' Dr Goldstone said weight loss drugs had been used in the treatment of diabetes for over a decade and had benefits of reducing the risk of developing other conditions. 'We're now in the third and fourth generation of these drugs, but the first generation of these drugs we've been using for 15 years for diabetes,' he said. 'There is nothing of concern that has emerged. In fact, all we're seeing are benefits. I'm not too worried about longer term side effects coming out. 'There is no real biological reason why there should be dangerous side-effects in the way that we know these drugs work. 'The benefits of the weight loss improvement in the diabetes are actually by themselves helping health and preventing other diseases, like cancer, heart attacks, renal failure, and potentially even reducing the risk of Alzheimer's disease. 'All those benefits, even if there was something that we hadn't really thought of that emerged down the line, I suspect that the harm of that is outweighed by the potential benefits of weight loss improvement in diabetes control.' Dr Cork said no drug is without side-effects and previous weight loss medications had failed because of them. 'There are side-effects, there are some concerning side-effects that tend to be very rare, but then you can monitor for those side-effects,' he said. 'As long as you're getting the correct care, as long as your GP is aware that you're taking them, then those should be identified. 'If you do find those side-effects, you can stop taking the drug.'
