The blockbuster weight-loss drugs semaglutide (Ozempic, Wegovy) and tirzepatide (Mounjaro, Zepbound) have been linked to hair loss in a new systematic review — adding a cosmetic concern to a class of medicines already under intense scrutiny.
The 2026 review screened 133 studies and analyzed 24 that met its criteria. Among the GLP-1 class, semaglutide and tirzepatide showed the highest incidence of hair loss and the strongest signals in drug-safety monitoring databases.
How big is the risk?
Compared with patients starting the older diabetes drug metformin, those beginning semaglutide had a 43% higher relative risk of non-scarring hair loss (risk ratio 1.43), and those on tirzepatide a 68% higher risk (risk ratio 1.68). Notably, the older GLP-1 drugs dulaglutide and liraglutide showed no significant increase.
Regulators are seeing it too: in 2026, the UK's medicines regulator logged 399 hair-loss reports tied to tirzepatide and 148 tied to semaglutide.
Why it may happen — and whether it grows back
The most common patterns were androgenetic alopecia and telogen effluvium, a temporary shedding often triggered by rapid weight loss or physiological stress. Tirzepatide, which produces the greatest weight loss, was most often linked to telogen effluvium. Crucially, these are non-scarring forms of hair loss, meaning the follicles stay intact and hair can regrow once the body stabilizes.
What this means for patients
Hair loss is distressing but, in this context, typically temporary and cosmetic rather than dangerous. It may be driven as much by the speed of weight loss as by the drug itself. Anyone worried about shedding should talk to their prescriber before stopping treatment — abruptly quitting a GLP-1 has its own consequences. This article is general information, not medical advice.