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Weight-loss drug users report more nail and hair problems, European study finds
People taking GLP-1 drugs such as Ozempic and Mounjaro were four times as likely to report nails lifting from the nail bed, dermatologists told a congress in Europe.
Key points
- Nail detachment was reported by 39% of GLP-1 users against 9% of non-users.
- Half of users reported unusual hair loss, compared with 34% of the comparison group.
- The authors say the studies show an association, not cause, and plan follow-up trials.
People taking the popular GLP-1 drugs for weight loss and diabetes report nail and hair problems far more often than people who do not use them, according to two studies presented at the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology (EADV) Congress 2026.
The researchers compared 575 people on drugs such as Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro, Zepbound, Victoza and Trulicity with 1,329 people with type 2 diabetes or obesity who had never taken them. Participants were recruited in France, the United States, Brazil and Mexico.
What users reported
The clearest difference was in nails lifting away from the nail bed. That was reported by 39% of GLP-1 users against 9% of non-users, more than four times as often. Nail discolouration was reported by 46% of users and 17% of the others. Taking all nail problems together, the figures were 66% and 53%.
The pattern held among people who had lost weight, and after the researchers allowed for existing skin conditions and nutritional deficiencies, detachment and discolouration were still two to three times as common among users.
“Until now, nail changes associated with GLP-1 therapies had essentially been anecdotal,” said Dr Charles Taïeb, one of the authors.
The companion study on hair found that 50% of users reported unusual hair loss, against 34% of non-users, and 42% reported thinner hair against 19%. Scalp redness was about three times as frequent. “Scalp inflammation was the rule rather than the exception,” said co-author Dr Bruno Halioua.
The limits
The studies were cross-sectional and relied on what participants said about their own symptoms, so they can show a link but not prove the drugs cause the problems. About half of the users said they had nail problems before starting treatment. “Not everything that happens during GLP-1 treatment is necessarily caused by the treatment itself,” Taïeb said.
The team plans studies that follow patients over time with standard clinical examinations. The work received institutional support from DUCRAY Laboratories, part of the Pierre Fabre Group, which makes dermatological and hair care products.