Young Indians are turning to diabetes drugs Ozempic and Mounjaro for rapid weight loss before weddings and job interviews, as experts warn of cosmetic misuse, grey market dangers, and rising lookism. These GLP-1 drugs are meant for obesity and diabetes, not vanity purposes, doctors emphasize.
Twenty-eight-year-old Aditi turned to Mounjaro injections at a West Delhi beauty clinic ahead of her wedding, suggested by a cosmetologist to lose 12-15 kg in three months alongside clearing PCOS-related acne. Influenced by social media transformations, she experienced redness, swelling, and a lump at the injection site. Off-label cosmetic use by cosmetologists is illegal; only specialists like endocrinologists can prescribe it.
Dr Swati Pradhan of Live Light Centre in Mumbai sees patients seeking drugs for weddings, jobs, or sports despite BMI below thresholds. She prescribes only for BMI over 30 or 25-27 with conditions like diabetes. Dr Jothydev Kesavadev in Kochi fields requests for dating or birthdays, calling them no magic fix. Dr Anoop Misra at Fortis C-DOC notes one in 10 patients seek vanity dosing, often from unregulated sources in smaller towns.
Grey market threats loom with compounded versions using online 'research peptides' or animal ingredients, mixed unregulated. Dr David Chandy reports 20% of patients want cosmetic jabs, some faking prescriptions. Risks include hormone disruption and organ stress without monitoring.
This trend fuels lookism, discriminating on appearance, amid social media pressures where weddings mark social status. Users like Kochi's Mridul and Anjali Pillai report success with diet and exercise, but experts stress drugs require lifestyle changes, not standalone solutions.
