Study: Aesthetic Surgeries Rise Among GLP-1 RA Patients

Aesthetic surgery among patients with previous glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonist (GLP-1 RA) use is increasing compared with postbariatric surgery patients, according to new research published in the Aesthetic Surgery Journal. 

Kitae E. Park, MD, and coinvestigators used the TriNetX database to identify patients undergoing aesthetic procedures between 2016 and 2024 and stratified cohorts according to previous bariatric surgery or GLP-1 RA use. Mean annual growth rates between groups were compared using least-squares means with post hoc Tukey tests. Postoperative 90-day complication rates—including hematoma, seroma, infection, wound dehiscence, deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, ED utilization, readmissions, and mortality—were evaluated using risk ratios after propensity score matching.

According to the study results, between 2016 and 2021, the mean annual growth rate of aesthetic procedures among GLP-1 RA users was 36.1% per year, compared with 27.1% among postbariatric patients. After 2021, mean annual growth increased to 53.8% for GLP-1 RA users and declined to –4% for postbariatric surgery patients. Rates of postsurgical hematoma, infection, and emergency department (ED) utilization were greater in postbariatric patients; however, the authors noted that future studies are warranted to investigate underlying factors.