The AHPRA advertising guidelines for cosmetic clinics are not as complicated as many clinic owners fear, but they do catch people out in very specific ways. Before-and-after photos, patient testimonials, language about treatment results, social media posts, email marketing: all of it falls under the same framework. This guide covers what is allowed, what is not, and the practical steps that keep your clinic compliant without shutting down your marketing entirely.
AHPRA does not publish a checklist. What they publish is a set of principles. Understanding those principles is far more useful than memorising a list of banned words, because your marketing will keep changing even if the rules do not.
Who the AHPRA advertising guidelines apply to
The AHPRA advertising guidelines apply to any registered health practitioner advertising their services in Australia. For cosmetic clinics, that means cosmetic doctors, nurse injectors, dermal therapists who hold a registered health profession, and any clinic they work within. The guidelines apply regardless of channel: website, social media, email, print, SMS, in-clinic signage.
Non-registered practitioners, such as beauticians offering non-invasive cosmetic treatments, are not directly subject to AHPRA's advertising rules, but may still fall under TGA restrictions on advertising regulated goods, and under Australian Consumer Law on misleading conduct. For the purposes of this guide, we are focused on registered practitioners running cosmetic clinics.
AHPRA also applies to the business entity advertising on behalf of a registered practitioner, not only to the practitioner themselves. If your clinic's Instagram account promotes a registered nurse injector's services, the guidelines apply to that account even though it is run by a marketing coordinator.
The testimonial ban: what it means in practice
The clearest rule in the AHPRA advertising guidelines is the prohibition on testimonials. A testimonial is any statement by a patient about the outcome of a health service. Testimonials cannot appear in advertising for a registered health practitioner's services, in any form.
In practice this means:
- No written quotes from patients about their results on your website or social media
- No video testimonials in any promotional content
- No screenshots of positive messages from patients shared in a promotional context
- No asking patients to post about their results and tagging your clinic in a way that becomes advertising
Google Reviews and third-party platforms are more nuanced. AHPRA cannot remove third-party reviews and acknowledges they are outside a practitioner's direct control. However, a clinic should not curate, feature, or embed third-party reviews in their own advertising materials.
Reposting a patient's Instagram story about their results, even if the patient posted it voluntarily, can constitute using a testimonial in advertising. Once the clinic shares or amplifies a patient's statement about their outcomes, the clinic has adopted it as advertising. Stick to sharing your work, your brand, and your clinic culture, not patient commentary on results.
Before-and-after photos: where the line sits
Before-and-after photos are one of the most contested areas of the AHPRA guidelines. The rules prohibit using before-and-after images in advertising in a way that creates unrealistic expectations of treatment outcomes. The practical application has evolved over time and AHPRA has clarified its position through guidance and enforcement.
The current position: before-and-after images shown in a public-facing advertising context, including social media posts, website landing pages, and email campaigns intended to attract new patients, are not compliant. The rationale is that curated results on a public channel create an implied promise about outcomes that a prospective patient cannot realistically evaluate before treatment.
In a clinical consultation context, showing a patient results from similar cases as part of informed consent and treatment planning is appropriate. The distinction is between a clinical tool and a marketing asset.
| Context | Compliant? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Showing results in a clinical consultation (informed consent) | Yes | Clinical tool, not public advertising |
| Posting before-and-after on Instagram for public audience | No | Public advertising, creates unrealistic expectations |
| Before-and-after on a password-protected patient portal | Likely yes | Not public-facing advertising |
| Before-and-after in a medical journal or conference presentation | Yes | Educational/scientific, not advertising |
| Sharing a patient's before-and-after that they posted themselves | No | Becomes a testimonial once clinic amplifies it |
Education versus advertising: a useful distinction
One of the most practical frameworks in the AHPRA guidelines is the distinction between educational content and advertising. Educational content that explains a condition, procedure or treatment in a balanced, factual way is generally not considered advertising. Advertising is content designed to promote the practitioner's services and encourage people to book.
This means a blog post explaining what a treatment involves, who it suits, how the process works, and what realistic outcomes look like can be published without it constituting an advertisement, provided it does not include claims that encourage the reader to book that specific treatment with your clinic. The content of this very post is an example: it provides information about advertising rules, not a prompt to book a particular clinical service.
You can publish educational content about treatments and conditions freely. What you cannot do is pair that content with promotional claims about your specific results, prices or patient outcomes.
The line becomes advertising when you add: a call to book, a price, a claim about your specific clinic's results, or a comparison that implies your clinic outperforms others clinically. General educational writing stays on the right side of the rules. Promotional writing needs to be reviewed against the guidelines before publishing.
Social media and the AHPRA guidelines
Social media is where most cosmetic clinics run into AHPRA issues, because the format rewards visual results and personal stories, exactly what the guidelines restrict. The rules apply equally to Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and any other channel.
What you can post: your clinic environment and culture, your team, factual information about treatments and conditions, your values and approach, and educational content that informs without promoting. Your loyalty and membership program can be promoted on social media provided it does not name specific prescription treatments in the offer.
What you cannot post: patient testimonials or results commentary, before-and-after imagery in a promotional context, claims about specific clinical outcomes, and content that names or promotes a Schedule 4 treatment to a general audience. Influencer partnerships that involve a registered practitioner's services also fall under the guidelines. Gifted treatments reviewed publicly by an influencer can constitute advertising using a testimonial.
Frequently asked questions
What are the AHPRA advertising guidelines for cosmetic clinics?
AHPRA's advertising guidelines prohibit registered health practitioners from using testimonials, creating unrealistic expectations of treatment outcomes, advertising regulated treatments to the public, or making claims that could be misleading. For cosmetic clinics, this means no before-and-after photos in public-facing advertising, no patient testimonials, and no promotional content naming Schedule 4 or 8 treatments.
Can cosmetic clinics use before-and-after photos in marketing?
AHPRA's guidelines prohibit using before-and-after images in advertising in a way that creates unrealistic expectations. Before-and-after photos can be shown in a clinical consultation context, but using them in public-facing advertising such as social media posts, emails or website pages designed to attract new patients is not compliant under the current guidelines.
Can a clinic use patient testimonials on their website?
No. AHPRA's advertising guidelines explicitly prohibit the use of testimonials from patients about the health services of a registered practitioner. This includes written testimonials, video testimonials, and star ratings on platforms where they relate to clinical services. Google Reviews and similar platforms are more nuanced. AHPRA cannot remove third-party reviews, but clinics should not solicit or feature them in their own advertising.
What is the difference between education and advertising under AHPRA rules?
Educational content that explains a condition, procedure or treatment in a balanced, factual way is not considered advertising. Advertising is content designed to promote the practitioner's services and attract clients. The distinction matters: a blog post explaining what a treatment involves is generally education; a post urging readers to book that treatment with your clinic is advertising and must comply with the guidelines.
