What Is Wegovy? How Can Side Effects Be Managed?

Hello, I’m Director Jo Hyun-woo of 3D Plastic Surgery.

These days, many people have been asking about Wegovy.

Today, I’d like to talk about what Wegovy is and what side effects it can cause.

Wegovy: A New Alternative for Obesity Treatment

Wegovy

Wegovy is an obesity treatment developed by the Danish pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk. After receiving approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in June 2021, it began to be sold in many countries around the world, including the United States.

It was later launched in various countries, including Europe and Japan, and in October 2024 it officially began to be sold in Korea as well.

Obesity is now recognized not simply as a matter of lifestyle, but as a chronic disease, so medication-based treatment for weight management seems to be drawing increasing attention.

Wegovy has established itself as a powerful solution, especially for patients who have difficulty achieving results with existing weight loss methods.

How Wegovy Works: How It Helps with Weight Loss

Wegovy

Wegovy binds to GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide-1) receptors and acts on the hypothalamus in the brain to suppress appetite and slow digestion, helping you feel full for longer.

The main ingredient in Wegovy, semaglutide, stimulates insulin secretion, stabilizes blood sugar, and helps reduce feelings of hunger.

As a result, patients can reduce food intake and lose weight over time. In particular, because Wegovy acts in the body for a long time, once-weekly administration can still provide sufficient effects, which greatly improves convenience.

Weight Loss Effect: Results Proven in Clinical Trials

Wegovy is highly regarded for its weight loss effect as well.

According to clinical trial results, participants who took Wegovy showed an average weight reduction of 14.9%, demonstrating better outcomes than existing obesity treatments.

In particular, in a major 68-week clinical trial, the Wegovy group experienced significant weight loss compared with the placebo group, showing that Wegovy can provide not just appetite suppression but also long-term weight reduction.

For this reason, Wegovy may be very effective even for high-risk groups such as patients with metabolic syndrome who are prone to weight gain, and it may become a new alternative for people who have difficulty losing weight with diet methods alone.

Differences Between Wegovy and Saxenda

So, how is it different from Saxenda, which many people already know?

Wegovy and Saxenda both share the common feature of being GLP-1 receptor agonists, but they differ in their main ingredients and how they are administered.

Wegovy uses semaglutide as its main ingredient and offers the convenience of once-weekly dosing.

In contrast, Saxenda uses liraglutide as its main ingredient and requires daily administration.

According to studies, Wegovy has been shown to be more effective for weight loss than Saxenda.

Semaglutide stays active in the body longer than liraglutide, helping maintain a feeling of fullness and making it more effective for long-term weight loss.

Saxenda showed an average weight loss of 8–10% in clinical trials, while Wegovy recorded an average weight loss of 14.9%, showing relatively greater effectiveness. For this reason, Wegovy may be a more suitable option for patients who want a high level of weight loss with once-weekly dosing.

Differences Between Wegovy and Ozempic

Ozempic

In the United States, Ozempic injections are also widely used.

Ozempic also uses semaglutide as its main ingredient, but it was developed for the management of diabetes.

It is mainly used for blood sugar control and is prescribed at relatively lower doses.

On the other hand, Wegovy is focused on weight loss in patients with obesity and is prescribed at higher doses, providing a strong weight reduction effect.

Because of the differences in dosage and purpose, Ozempic may be suitable for weight management in patients with diabetes, but Wegovy is more effective for patients with obesity who need pure weight loss.

Side Effects and Precautions of Wegovy

The representative side effects of Wegovy include nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea, which occur because Wegovy affects the digestive system.

These side effects mainly occur during the early stage of treatment and often improve over time.

However, in rare cases, serious side effects such as pancreatitis and thyroid tumors may occur, and if these symptoms appear, it is important to consult medical staff immediately.

To reduce gastrointestinal discomfort that occurs while taking Wegovy, it may help to take the medication with meals or reduce the intake of high-fat foods.

If nausea is severe, adjusting the time of administration or the frequency of dosing may also be an option. In particular, when using the medication for the first time, it is important to increase the dose gradually so that the body can adapt, and regular health checkups to monitor the pancreas and thyroid are essential for safe use.

Another side effect is that some people say their face looks saggy and older due to rapid weight loss.

Some celebrities also appear to have aged significantly before and after weight loss.

Wrinkled, older-looking areas like these can be improved with simple procedures or surgery.

Skin that looks saggy due to rapid weight loss can be improved with simple laser devices such as Shurink and Ulthera, and it can also be addressed with thread lifting.

This patient underwent a 230-degree 3D zygoma reduction and facial fat grafting at our clinic because weight loss made the cheekbones more prominent and the facial volume disappear.

In addition, the areas that look older because facial fat has been lost can also be restored with volume.

Volume can be added through fat grafting, and for those who want a simpler procedure, collagen injection treatments such as Sculptra can also provide a satisfying solution.

Sculptra

Sculptra is an injectable treatment that helps restore volume and elasticity by stimulating collagen within the skin.

It is especially used to restore facial volume and improve skin elasticity.

Its main ingredient is poly-L-lactic acid (PLLA), which gradually breaks down in the body and induces collagen production.

The injected material is absorbed by the body over time, and in this process, collagen production is stimulated, naturally increasing skin volume and improving fine wrinkles.

This collagen-boosting effect appears gradually after the procedure, with volume usually beginning to recover slowly after 4–6 weeks and the maximum effect appearing about 3–6 months after treatment.

Sculptra does not provide an immediate volume increase, but it offers natural-looking results that last for a long period after the procedure.

In general, the effects last for about two years, and in some people they may last even longer.

However, it may not be suitable for those who want immediate effects or quick results in a short period of time.

Wegovy’s Popularity and Market Response

Since its release, Wegovy has gained immense popularity worldwide.

When Tesla CEO Elon Musk mentioned Wegovy as the secret behind his weight loss, public interest increased significantly, and as a result, supply shortages occurred in some countries.

For example, demand for Wegovy surged in the United States, leading to temporary shortages.

In Korea, it also drew a great deal of attention as soon as it was launched in October 2024.

Large-volume orders from clinics and pharmacies created so much interest that distributors’ websites were temporarily overwhelmed.

This seems to show that many people in Korea are also choosing Wegovy as a new solution for weight management.

Wegovy offers high weight loss effectiveness and convenience with once-weekly dosing.

In particular, it may become a new alternative for patients who have not seen results with existing weight loss methods or medications, and it seems to be establishing itself as an effective treatment even for patients with severe obesity.

However, because there is also the possibility of side effects, it is important to consult sufficiently with medical staff before taking it and to regularly check your health status while using it.

Also, if aging becomes noticeable due to rapid weight loss, it may be helpful to think that this can also be addressed with simple procedures.

I hope today’s information was helpful.

Thank you.