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People taking GLP-1 medications for obesity or diabetes experience nail peeling and hair loss at significantly higher rates than people with similar general health who do not take GLP-1.
This is according to a study presented on October 1 at the 2026 Congress of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology (EADV) in Vienna, Austria.
Two studies evaluated 575 users of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) drugs and a control group of 1,329 non-users, all with type 2 diabetes, obesity, or both. Participants were recruited in France, the United States, Brazil and Mexico.
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In the main study looking at nail health, 39% of GLP-1 users reported nail peeling, compared to 9% of non-users. Nail discoloration affected 46% of GLP-1 users compared to 17% in the control group.
Overall, two-thirds of GLP-1 users (66%) reported experiencing at least one nail disorder, compared to 53% of the control group.
People taking GLP-1 medications for obesity or diabetes experience nail peeling and hair loss at significantly higher rates than people with similar general health who did not take GLP-1. (iStock)
The researchers found that weight loss alone did not explain the difference.
Even when researchers looked only at people who lost weight, those who took GLP-1 were still more likely to have these problems.
After adjusting for existing dermatological conditions and nutritional deficiencies, nail peeling and discoloration remained two to three times more common in the treated group.
Two-thirds (66%) of GLP-1 users experienced at least one nail problem, with nail discoloration affecting 46% of drug users, compared to 17% of controls. (iStock)
“Until now, nail changes associated with GLP-1 therapies have been mostly anecdotal,” said study author Dr. Charles Taïeb, a clinical dermatologist at Necker University Hospital in Paris, in a press release.
“Our results show a clear association, but they also highlight an important point: not everything that happens during GLP-1 treatment is necessarily caused by the treatment itself.”
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In another study assessing hair and scalp conditions in the same group of participants, 50% of GLP-1 users reported unusual hair loss, compared to 34% of the control group.
After starting treatment, 26% of GLP-1 users reported hair loss or thinning, compared to 12% of those not taking the drug. Hair loss was also more common, affecting 42% of GLP-1 users, compared to 19% of those who didn’t take it, the study found.
Patients taking GLP-1 receptor agonists were four times more likely to report nail separation than non-users with similar medical profiles. (iStock)
Scalp redness was reported about three times more frequently among GLP-1 users, and hair loss among users was usually accompanied by inflammatory scalp symptoms such as itching, flaking, or redness, the researchers noted.
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“This suggests that what is happening on the scalp could go beyond the classic weight loss observed after rapid weight loss and involve an inflammatory component,” study author Dr. Bruno Halioua, a Paris-based dermatologist, said in the release.
“Scalp inflammation was the rule rather than the exception, which clinicians are not currently looking for and could be treated.”
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Halioua said patients experiencing these symptoms should see a doctor rather than stopping their treatment, noting that the changes are usually not severe enough to warrant stopping treatment.
Half of GLP-1 users reported unusual hair loss, while 42% experienced a reduction in hair volume or density in one study. (iStock)
The authors emphasized that because both studies relied on patient-reported data and examined them at a single time point, the results only show associations and cannot prove that the drugs caused these effects.
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About half of GLP-1 users surveyed reported having nail problems before starting treatment.
The research team plans further studies to determine when these changes occur, what may be causing them, and whether they disappear over time.
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The studies benefited from institutional support from Laboratoires DUCRAY, a division of the Pierre Fabre Group.
Fox News Digital has contacted the manufacturers of GLP-1 for comment.
Gn Health
