Boots brings in-store weight loss treatments while CMA combats “Ozempic vulva”

Cosmetics retailer Boots will offer in-store Weight Loss Treatment Service as a pilot in 17 stores across the UK. Boots shoppers now have the option to access in-person advice and treatment for weight loss on the high street. 

The service offers access to weight loss treatment for those who are eligible through an in-person consultation with a Pharmacist Independent Prescriber. The prescriber has specialist training to prescribe weight-loss medicines. 

The service locations include London, Manchester, and Edinburgh. The in-store offering builds on Boots’ digital Weight Loss Treatment Service, delivered through Boots Online Doctor.

The health and beauty retailers’ move comes amid a growing number of personal care solutions targeting the negative side effects of GLP-1-based drugs. For example, the Cellular Medicine Association (CMA) has launched injectable solutions that combat sagging in vulva skin after taking weight-loss medications. 

Beauty retailer to weight-loss provider

During the new consultations offered by Boots, a pharmacist will ask customers desiring the treatment a series of questions to get a full picture of their health and medical history to assess whether they are eligible for the treatment. The pharmacist will also conduct physical checks to ascertain weight, height, and BMI. 

If customers meet the service’s eligibility criteria, the pharmacist can provide access to weight loss medications. Following the initial consultation, additional appointments will be booked to review the treatment progress. 

The private in-store weight-loss treatment service bolsters the existing weight-loss support offered by Boots digitally through Boots Online Doctor. This means Boots can offer medicated weight loss support digitally and in person.

Jamie Kerruish, chief health care officer at Boots, said: “We know that people have different preferences for how they access health care services — some seeking online support and some wanting in-person conversations with their local practitioner. The launch of our in-store weight loss treatment service alongside our digital offer delivered through Boots Online Doctor means we can now deliver convenient care to people both online or in person.”Boots offers in-store weight loss consultations at 17 UK locations.  

“Our weight loss treatment services are for anyone whose lives are affected by obesity. For people who are overweight or living with obesity, it can be hard to lose weight through diet and exercise alone. Weight loss treatment combined with 360 support to make lifestyle and behavioral changes can be a powerful tool in helping people manage their weight, and at Boots, we are here for every step of our customers’ weight loss journeys.” 

Boots will also provide its in-store customers with a range of resources on its Boots Online Doctor Platform, including a 10-week free weight-loss program promoting sustainable lifestyle and behavioral changes, an app to track progress, and a free 12-month aftercare program for customers who have stopped medication. 

The 10-week weight-loss program is available free to anyone, whether they are pursuing treatment at Boots or not. 

The service is available to book online or on a walk-in basis at participating stores, subject to the availability of a Pharmacist Independent Prescriber. 

Taking on Ozempic side effects 

The increasing usage of weight loss drugs has led to a subsequent increase in skin care offerings that counteract the negative effects of said drugs. The CMA says one of these side effects has gained the term: “Ozempic vulva.”

“Ozempic vulva” refers to the volume loss, laxity, dryness, and discomfort that can follow rapid fat reduction in the vulvar tissues. To tackle this intimate care gap, CMA has launched the Vampire Facelift and the Vampire Wing Lift procedures.

“In 2010, my weight-loss patients told me they loved the metabolic benefits but felt they were looking older in the face. That led to the development of the Vampire Facelift — combining platelet-rich plasma with hyaluronic acid filler to restore both volume and tissue health. The same biological principles later guided the development of the Vampire Wing Lift for the vulva,” says Dr. Charles Runels, president of the CMA and inventor of the solutions. 

Rapid weight loss reduces adipose tissue throughout the body. In the face, this produces hollowing and laxity. In the vulva — particularly the labia majora — it reduces natural cushioning. This can lead to: flattening or deflation, increased prominence of the labia minora, dryness and irritation, chafing and discomfort, and reduced aesthetic fullness. 

The Vampire Wing Lift, developed approximately sixteen years ago as an extension of the same regenerative concepts used in the Vampire Facelift, combines hyaluronic acid filler for volume restoration and autologous platelet-rich plasma to stimulate collagen formation, angiogenesis, and improved tissue quality.New skin care treatments aim to address the side effects of GLP-1 weight-loss drugs. 

“Weight loss removes the padding,” explains Runels. “By restoring volume and encouraging healthier blood flow and collagen support, we can improve both appearance and comfort. In many patients, that also enhances sexual pleasure because tissue health and vascular response matter.”

Social media has recently amplified the term “Ozempic vulva,” but Runels emphasizes that the phenomenon is not drug-specific tissue damage but rather the predictable result of rapid adipose reduction.

“The technology was already there. The Vampire Wing Lift was developed in the same era and from the same reasoning that led to the Vampire Facelift. It still works,” she says. 

The procedure is minimally invasive and performed in medical offices by trained providers. CMA discloses that results vary and that patients should consult a licensed physician to determine candidacy.