GLP-1s have absolutely changed the game when it comes to weight loss, but these medications aren’t all sunshine and roses. According to NewBeauty’s The State of Aesthetics Summer 2025 report, powered by the BeautyEngine platform, more patients are reporting hair loss as a side effect of their GLP-1 use. But as experts explain, that doesn’t mean that GLP-1s themselves are causing hair loss. Instead, it’s actually a sign that these weight loss medications are working fast to transform your body, and your hair might just be having trouble keeping up.
Featured Experts
- Jeffrey B. Wise, MD is a board-certified facial plastic surgeon and hair restoration specialist in Wayne, NJ
- Doris Day, MD is a board-certified dermatologist based in New York
- Daniel Schlessinger, MD is a board-certified dermatologist in Omaha, NE
GLP-1 Users Report More Hair Loss
With 51 percent of respondents indicating they have experienced hair loss or hair quality changes since starting their GLP-1 medication, it’s clear that this side effect is more common than previously thought.
A substantial jump from last year’s report, where 37 percent indicated they had experienced hair loss, this data may seem like cause for concern. But just where is this hair loss coming from?
Thankfully, your GLP-1 medication itself isn’t the problem.
What Kind of Hair Loss?
“It’s critically important to understand that GLP-1 agonist drugs, in and of themselves, do not cause hair loss. Rather, hair loss can occur as a result of massive weight loss or fad dieting,” explains Wayne, NJ facial plastic surgeon and hair restoration specialist Jeffrey B. Wise, MD.
This kind of hair loss is frequently referred to as “stress shedding.”
“Any major physiologic change, like rapid weight loss, can cause stress shedding, called Telogen effluvium,” says New York dermatologist Doris Day, MD. “This causes hair follicles to enter the resting phase prematurely and fall out.”
And this can look like major hair loss in a short window of time, which leads people to notice a sudden, major difference in their hair quality and fullness. The good news is, it’s very likely not permanent. “Although telogen effluvium is extremely distressing, for the majority of people it is temporary and resolves on its own within three to six months after the onset of hair loss,” says Dr. Wise.
Restoring Your Hair
Even if you’re fairly sure your hair loss is stress related, it can still be helpful to see a specialist. “In reality, there are dozens, if not hundreds, of different causes of hair loss,” says Omaha, NE dermatologist Daniel Schlessinger, MD. “The most important step in treating hair loss is getting the right diagnosis by seeing a board-certified dermatologist. Once the diagnosis has been made, there are so many different things that can be done, ranging from topical medications (like Rogaine) and hair vitamins (like Viviscal) to oral medications (like minoxidil or finasteride) and cosmetic procedures (like platelet rich plasma).”
It’s important to note that hair regrowth after stress shedding can take several months, and an expert can best guide you on what treatments, supplements or medications (if any) will help speed up that process. “Patients often come to see me after unsuccessfully trying some combination of topical or oral treatments from an online telemedicine service that has tried a one-size-fits-all approach,” Dr. Schlessinger notes. “In truth, hair loss will always require a customized approach to succeed.”
