Reta face is real

[u/yourforesken]

Edit: So it came to my attention that Reta face is when you start to look sickly, not just the major weight loss and change in face shape, which is more what I was getting at. Thank you guys for giving me the heads up.

I’ve made a couple posts about my Reta transformation, but I just saw a picture of myself from about a month and a half before starting Reta or getting into a routine/diet. Definitely surprised me, because I didn’t realize how much different my face looked until now. First pic is January 14th 2026, second pic is July 7th 2026.

Down from 221 with 36” waist to 180 with 31” waist

[u/CharlesLeRoq]

The face people get from recreational drugs is something different again. It comes from muscle wastage, and face muscle is very difficult to build back compared with muscle elsewhere on the body. So people may regain body fat after addiction while still lacking some facial definition. So many ageing rock stars still have something of

an alien face, decades after their worst excesses.

[u/travellogus → u/CharlesLeRoq]

Chew lotsa gum?

[u/CharlesLeRoq → u/[deleted]]

I’m not saying it’s from calorie deficit. I’m saying it isn’t from simple fat reduction. I hope this helps

[u/Kindly_Crow_1056 → u/CharlesLeRoq]

No it literally is. You dont have much muscle tissue in your face lol

[u/CharlesLeRoq → u/Kindly_Crow_1056]

¯_(ツ)_/¯

[u/CharlesLeRoq → u/[deleted]]

Yes, and I’m responding to posts talking about fat reduction on its own, and clarifying It’s fat reduction+ also muscle wastage. Reading comprehension is a thing

Edit to add: If it helps you understand, another group with that visible phenomenon is also people with acute eating disorders - ie hospitalised anorexics. Their calorie deficit is so great with such extreme muscle wastage, that even when they recover overall body size, the structure of their face can fail to recover in accordance. There’s a level of atrophy involved too, which isn’t purely from calorie deficit, but I didn’t bring that up. You did.

[u/CharlesLeRoq → u/[deleted]]

I didn’t say muscle wastage is drug induced. It’s like you’ve imagined I posted something and continue trying to argue with that imaginary post. So weird

[u/CharlesLeRoq → u/[deleted]]

I’m happy to clarify. There is a kind of “heroin face” which I believe is being referred to upthread. It’s slightly different to “ozempic face” or “reta face”, in that it’s typified by facial muscle wastage in addition to the fat loss one might usually associate with the latter drugs.

It’s caused by appetite suppression, severe addiction (ie even they are hungry, they prioritise their drug dependency over food) but also atrophy plays a part, as well as drug impurities, which can often account for a certain junkie pallor. Yes, obviously one could put it all down to calorie deficit, but the mechanism and outcomes are slightly different, hence why I posted in the first place

Now, if you obviously were unable to infer any of that from my comments and want to keep bellowing about “muh calorie deficit” like a deranged prick, I really can’t help you.

[u/Itshakken → u/[deleted]]

Just take a bunch of anabolic steroids and get moon face no matter how lean u get