Healthcare ad rules are the policies Google and Meta apply to clinic ads, and the two platforms split on before-and-after photos: Google bans before-and-after images that promote significant alterations to the human body, while Meta's Health and Wellness policy allows them for cosmetic procedures and surgeries in ads targeted to people 18 and older. In the US, Google ads may name prescription drugs such as semaglutide without certification, but keyword-targeting those terms requires it; Meta's prescription-drug ads need LegitScript certification plus Meta's authorization. Both platforms also limit how health advertisers use audience and tracking data.

Why clinic owners keep getting conflicting answers

One agency says before-and-after photos are banned everywhere, a vendor guide says you can't type “semaglutide” into an ad, and your campaign still gets disapproved while next week's schedule stays half empty. Most guides blend the two platforms or describe policies that have since changed. This page sticks to what the official Google, Meta, FDA, FTC and LegitScript pages say, with a link to each. We checked every rule below against those pages on September 15, 2026. Platforms change their policies, so re-check the linked page before you launch. This is marketing guidance, not legal or medical advice.

Google vs Meta healthcare ad rules, side by side

  • Before-and-after images
    • Google: banned for significant alterations to the human body.
    • Meta: allowed for cosmetic procedures and surgeries in ads targeted 18+.
  • Naming prescription drugs
    • Google (US): allowed in ads and on landing pages; keyword-targeting drug terms needs certification.
    • Meta: needs LegitScript, Meta's authorization, US, Canada or New Zealand targeting, 18+ and a disclaimer.
  • Who needs LegitScript
    • Google (US): online pharmacies (LegitScript or NABP) and telemedicine providers (LegitScript only), each plus Google certification.
    • Meta: online pharmacies, telehealth providers and other prescription-drug advertisers (manufacturers can use Meta's internal review instead).
  • Audiences and data
    • Google: no Customer Match, remarketing or lookalikes in sensitive categories.
    • Meta: no health information through the Pixel or Conversions API, and health sites can have data sharing restricted.
  • Copy about the viewer
    • Google: no using illness to stir fear or guilt and pressure immediate action.
    • Meta: no asserting or implying a person's health condition.
  • Result claims
    • Google: testimonials with specific results need a visible results-vary disclaimer.
    • Meta: no promises of specific results within a set timeframe without qualifiers.

Before-and-after photos: banned in Google Ads, allowed on Meta

Google's Clickbait ads policy bans before-and-after images that promote significant alterations to the human body, along with clearly altered zoomed-in body parts, and the page gives no exception for licensed providers. On YouTube and Discover, Google's extra creative rules also ban misleading before-and-after images, while allowing weight-loss and skin-condition ads as long as the imagery isn't disturbing.

Meta's Health and Wellness policy takes the opposite line: it allows cosmetic products, procedures and surgeries “depicting before and after transformation” in ads targeted 18+. What it still bans:

  • statements of inferiority, meaning negative words, descriptions or questions about someone's appearance, body parts or hygiene;
  • close-ups of a body area with pinched fat in weight-loss ads;
  • promises of specific results within a set timeframe without disclaimers or qualifiers.
The page carries a change log, so older articles calling before-and-after “banned on Meta” may describe an earlier version. In practice, a surgical before-and-after set can run on Meta but not in Google Ads, and only with the patient's written consent and an unretouched result.

Can you advertise semaglutide on Google? Drug terms and LegitScript

In the US, yes. Google's Restricted drug terms policy lets campaigns targeting the US, Canada or New Zealand use prescription drug terms in ads and on landing pages without certification, subject to local law; keyword-targeting those terms is what needs certification. Google's non-exhaustive prescription drug list includes semaglutide, tirzepatide, liraglutide, Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro, Zepbound and Botox. Campaigns targeting other countries can't use those terms in ads or on landing pages except for non-promotional uses.

Some businesses need certification regardless of keywords. Under the Healthcare and medicines policy, US online pharmacies need LegitScript or NABP accreditation plus Google certification, and telemedicine providers, including those that prescribe, need LegitScript (the only accreditor listed for them) plus Google certification. Offering prescription drugs without a prescription, or targeting places you aren't licensed, gets an account suspended on detection, without warning. Google names no certification type for in-person clinics or med spas, so confirm your route with Google before bidding on drug names.

Meta prescription drug ads: LegitScript, authorization and a disclaimer

Meta's Drugs and Pharmaceuticals policy requires every prescription-drug ad to meet all five conditions:

  1. Active LegitScript certification (drug manufacturers may use Meta's internal review instead).
  2. Authorization from Meta.
  3. Targeting only the US, Canada or New Zealand, and only where you are certified.
  4. Targeting only people 18 and older.
  5. A disclaimer to consult a licensed health professional or obtain a valid prescription.
Prescription weight-loss products fall under this policy. Ads that educate about prescription drugs, and ads promoting telehealth services in general, don't need the authorization.

Compounded GLP-1s: what FDA says and what Google's pages don't

FDA's page on unapproved GLP-1 drugs says compounded drugs are not FDA-approved and that FDA does not review them for safety, effectiveness or quality before they are sold. It also flags claims that a compounded drug is the same as an FDA-approved drug, and enforcement has followed that line:

  • September 9, 2025: an FDA warning letter to Hims & Hers found that claims such as having the same active ingredient as Ozempic and Wegovy implied the compounded products were the same as FDA-approved drugs.
  • March 3, 2026: FDA warned 30 telehealth companies over false or misleading claims about compounded GLP-1s, including claims implying they are the same as FDA-approved products.
None of the Google policy pages we checked names compounded drugs or treats them differently from FDA-approved brands. We make no claim about whether any GLP-1 medication is right or safe for a patient. For the marketing side, see our GLP-1 clinic marketing playbook and our weight loss clinic marketing service.

Targeting and health data: Google's sensitive categories vs Meta's restrictions

Google's personalized advertising policy treats health as a sensitive category and spells out cosmetic surgery, surgical procedures and injections as part of it; ads about prescription medications fall under a separate Restricted drug terms category with the same limits. That rules out Customer Match, your data segments (Google's current name for remarketing), audience expansion and lookalike segments. Google's predefined audiences, such as in-market, affinity, life events and location targeting, remain available, but Demand Gen and Discovery campaigns may not serve because they use advertiser-curated audiences by default. The health category page doesn't name weight loss or dentistry, so Google doesn't state how a drug-free weight-loss ad or a dental ad is classified.

Meta regulates copy and data separately. Its Personal Attributes policy bans asserting or implying a person's health condition: announcing a new diabetes treatment is fine, asking whether the viewer has diabetes is not, and Meta lists “Ready to upgrade your skin to look younger?” as not allowed. On data, Meta prohibits sharing health information through the Pixel or Conversions API, including in event names, custom conversions and URL parameters. It can also assign a site to its health and wellness category and restrict data sharing in three ways:

  • Core setup: blocks custom parameters and the URL path after your domain.
  • Restricted standard events: limits specific mid- and lower-funnel events.
  • Full restrictions: no events shared in affected regions; Meta points to Awareness, Engagement or Traffic objectives.
Meta's page doesn't say which named events are restricted, and whether your tracking meets HIPAA is a separate question for your privacy counsel. Our Facebook ads playbook for medical practices shows how to build campaigns under these limits.

Testimonials, reviews and result claims: Google, Meta and the FTC

  • Google: the Unreliable claims policy requires a visible disclaimer that there is no guarantee and results vary on testimonials claiming specific results. It bans presenting an improbable result as likely and unrealistic weight loss within a time frame, and guaranteeing results requires a clear refund policy.
  • Meta: no promises of specific results within a set timeframe without qualifiers, and no claims to cure listed diseases such as diabetes, even from health professionals.
  • FTC Endorsement Guides: if a testimonial shows above-average results you can't prove most people get, the ad must make the generally expected results clear. Rewards can't depend on a positive review, and connections such as staff or relatives must be disclosed.
  • FTC Consumer Reviews and Testimonials Rule: in effect since October 21, 2024, it bans fake reviews, incentives tied to positive or negative sentiment and undisclosed insider reviews; testimonials on your own website count as published by you. FTC's December 2025 release cites civil penalties of up to $53,088 per violation.

Healthcare ad rules by vertical: weight loss, TRT, surgery, med spas, dental

Neither platform has dedicated policy pages for these specialties, so the rules above apply, plus these specifics:

  • Weight loss and GLP-1: Google bans hCG promoted for weight loss. Meta requires 18+ targeting and lets dietary weight-loss products show their impact with how long noticeable results took. Campaign detail is in our Google Ads guide for weight loss clinics.
  • TRT and HRT: neither platform's pages we checked carry a TRT-specific rule. Google's drug list has Depo-Testosterone (no standalone “testosterone” entry), Estrace and somatropin; Google bans hCG promoted with anabolic steroids, and DHEA products except in US-targeted campaigns. Meta allows ads about the effects of menopause when targeted 18+ and focused on health, and thyroid is on its no-cure-claims list.
  • Plastic surgery: Google's Sexual content policy doesn't mention surgery, but it restricts exposed intimate body parts even when blurred and keeps such ads off YouTube and the Display Network; YouTube also bans surgery footage with blood or gore. Meta prohibits genital procedures focused on sexual pleasure. More on our plastic surgery marketing page.
  • Med spas: Botox, Dysport and Xeomin are on Google's drug list, Google doesn't state how dermal fillers are treated, and it names PRP among cell therapies that can't be promoted, apart from educational ads and FDA-licensed or approved therapies promoted by the license holder. Meta's pages don't say whether naming a neurotoxin brand makes an ad a prescription-drug ad. LegitScript says med spas are generally eligible for its certification only if they offer telemedicine that may lead to a prescription or take online payments for prescription drugs.
  • Dental: Google doesn't restrict ads only for dental, vision or travel insurance, and bans YouTube and Discover ads showing dental surgery gore or tooth decay; whether a smile makeover counts as a significant body alteration isn't stated. Meta exempts dental products such as teeth whitening from its 18+ rule.

Myths the top-ranking pages repeat

These claims appeared on pages near the top of our searches on September 15, 2026:

  • “Before-and-after is banned on Meta.” Meta's current text allows it for cosmetic procedures and surgeries in ads targeted 18+.
  • “Google allows before-and-after if it isn't misleading.” The Clickbait ban has no such condition; “misleading” is the extra YouTube and Discover wording.
  • “You can't mention semaglutide in a Google ad.” US-targeted ads can; certification is for keyword-targeting drug terms and for online pharmacies and telemedicine providers.
  • “Every healthcare advertiser needs LegitScript.” Google ties it to specific business types, and Meta to prescription-drug ads, online pharmacies and telehealth providers.
  • “NABP works for telehealth on Google.” Google lists NABP for online pharmacies only.

What this means for your practice

  1. Split creative by platform: cosmetic before-and-after on Meta with 18+ targeting; procedure explainers and clinician video on Google.
  2. Place your business model: if you prescribe through telehealth or sell prescription drugs online, start with LegitScript, then Google certification and Meta authorization.
  3. Write about the treatment, never the viewer's condition, weight or age.
  4. Keep health details out of tracking: no procedures or conditions in event names, URLs or parameters.
  5. Clean up reviews: no sentiment-based incentives, disclosed staff connections and written consent for every patient photo or story.
Tepexa is a patient-growth marketing and AI-automation agency for dental and medical practices, with 30+ specialists across 6 departments since 2017. For an outside read on your current ads and landing pages, start with our free AI practice audit; it is marketing input, not a legal review. Rules last checked: September 15, 2026.