Experts share concerns over cosmetic procedures for ‘Ozempic vulva’

Women who’ve lost kilos from weight loss drugs are turning to cosmetic treatments for something dubbed ‘Ozempic vagina’ — but some experts fear the cosmetic industry is preying on vulnerable patients.

Maddison Johnstone from Operation Redress is concerned about the cosmetic industry’s tactics. Picture: Michael Fraser

The cosmetic industry is being accused of preying on “vulnerable” women who are turning to procedures like vulva filler, fat grafts and labiaplasty after losing weight on GLP-1 drugs.

“Ozempic vagina” or “Ozempic vulva” are terms colloquially used to describe changes around women’s genital areas, such as sagging skin, after weight loss.

Wegovy and Mounjaro are approved for chronic weight management in Australia, while diabetes drug Ozempic needs to be prescribed off-label for weight loss.

Australasian College of Cosmetic Surgery and Medicine council member Lara Wetton said more women were coming forward for fat grafting or dermal filler of the labia majora after “losing volume” due to GLP-1 induced weight loss.

These procedures create an effect known as “labia puffing”.

Patients are seeking cosmetic procedures after losing large amounts of weight on GLP-1 drugs.

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Dr Wetton said that this weight loss also meant there were more patients seeking labiaplasty, because the inner lips became “more prominent” after the outer labia lost volume.

But the Sydney-based cosmetic doctor said broadly, most labiaplasty patients came to her for discomfort reasons.

“I really do feel that by the time patients have gone through the consultation process with me, they are adequately informed to undergo a procedure like this,” she said.

She said the porn industry may also be an influencing factor for women requesting intimate procedures.

Dr Wetton warned that all procedures came with risks, and said the most common complication from labiaplasty that she saw was a slow healing wound predisposing to infection.

“The technique I use is very particular (to avoid nerve damage),” she said.

Dr Wetton said patients were also seeking body contouring procedures like pubic lifts because of loose skin, and face and neck lifts after taking weight loss drugs.

“I think these (weight loss) drugs definitely have their benefits, but they can be quite devastating for some areas of the body,” Dr Wetton said.

“It really can age a patient.”

Sexual health physician Tonia Mezzini said she was horrified women were having procedures like vulva filler.

“I really do wish that women would stop tormenting their bodies to achieve a beauty ideal that is driven by marketing and a narrative that makes women feel lesser,” she said.

Dr Mezzini said women could naturally lose vulva fat with age, and this could be exacerbated with significant weight loss.

She described labiaplasty as “very controversial”.

“I think women are sometimes not adequately counselled about the potential for decreased sensation and sexual satisfaction if the procedure’s not done appropriately,” she said.

Operation Redress consumer advocate Maddison Johnstone said when women were harmed or botched through procedures in intimate areas, they could be so impacted that they no longer dated or had sex.

Maddison Johnstone from Operation Redress. Photo: Supplied.

Ms Johnstone said the use of language like “correct” and “restore” in advertising of intimate injectables only made vulnerable women feel there was something medically wrong which required clinical intervention, when this was often not the case.

“This is where the industry becomes particularly predatory,” she said.

Dr Wetton said emotive language had reduced significantly since new advertising guidelines were implemented.

“Providing educative information in our advertising and on our websites assists women more broadly and enables them to make informed decisions,” Dr Wetton said.

Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) guidelines state cosmetic procedures must not be advertised in a way that exploits the vulnerabilities or insecurities of individuals to increase demand.

“AHPRA has received a very small number (less than five) of complaints about the advertising of cosmetic procedures for intimate areas,” a spokesman said.

“These complaints are currently under investigation.

“The professional expectations of practitioners advertising these procedures is that they do not use language that is exploitative, disapproving or minimises the risk of procedures.”

Originally published as Experts share concerns over cosmetic procedures for ‘Ozempic vulva’