Aesthetic clinics and medical service providers are being forced to rethink how they advertise treatments on social media after Dubai Health Authority reinforced rules to protect patients from unrealistic promises and misleading claims.
While important for patient health and safety, the changes are also set to prompt a reframing of marketing strategies and the use of influencers.
Online influencers are often relied on to promote aesthetic treatments alongside before-and-after images and promises of guaranteed results. However, this approach is now expected to change.
“A large part of the elective care market – especially cosmetic dermatology, plastic surgery, weight-loss procedures and cosmetic dentistry – relied heavily on aggressive social-media marketing,” said Dr Hussein Hishmat, professor of cardiology and an interventional cardiologist in the UAE.
“In competitive city markets, before-and-after photos, video clips of procedures and dramatic visual transformations were the main ways to attract new patients.”
These “unstandardised” images can be misleading for patients by inaccurately portraying results due to lighting, camera angles and photo editing often disguising “true results”.
“While these posts got many clicks and quick sign-ups, they often skipped proper discussions of patient consent and ignored the fact that everyone's body responds differently,” he said.
Dubai Health Authority issued a circular to private healthcare facilities and professionals last month, requiring them to comply with its new standards for medical advertising on social media and warning that failure to do so could result in disciplinary action.
“A reputable clinic should be competing on clinical quality, qualified doctors, patient safety, technology, outcomes and trust, not on who can produce the most dramatic Instagram post,” said Dr Gehad Masri, a UAE-based general surgeon, proctologist and founder of Yugen Care Clinic. “Marketing can no longer operate separately from clinical governance.”
The new Dubai Health Authority standards have a particularly significant impact on Dubai's competitive aesthetics sector, where Instagram, TikTok and other platforms have become major channels for attracting patients to cosmetic procedures.
Under the standards, medical advertising must be truthful and supported by appropriate evidence. Claims about treatment outcomes must also be substantiated and include associated risks.
Phrases such as “the best”, “safest”, “exclusive”, “magic”, “miraculous”, “100 per cent” and “immediate results” are among those that should not be used.
“Clinics will have to move from saying, in effect, ‘Look at this amazing result’ to explain why a treatment may be appropriate, who is suitable for it, what its limitations are, what the risks are and what realistic results can be expected,” Dr Masri said.
Impact on aesthetic clinics
Aesthetic clinics increasingly use short-form videos, patient transformations, influencer partnerships and before-and-after images to advertise treatments ranging from injectables and skin procedures to cosmetic surgery.
“Clinics can no longer rely on flashy visuals to attract patients,” Dr Hisham said. “They must switch from a purely promotional mindset to one focused on providing real health value.
“Research shows that constant exposure to highly edited, idealised cosmetic images is closely linked to body image issues, body dysmorphia and dissatisfaction after treatments.
“Promising guaranteed or dramatic results sets unrealistic expectations. Every person's body heals differently and responds uniquely to treatment.”
Stricter standards could ultimately benefit established operators by creating a more even playing field and making it harder to compete through exaggerated marketing.
“Unclear or exaggerated marketing often allows lower-quality providers to overshadow good ones – a problem that has particularly affected cosmetic medicine,” Dr Hishmat said.
“Highly reputable clinics that invest heavily in safety, sterilisation, qualified doctors and continuing staff training have often been at a disadvantage online compared to clinics spending heavily on edited, misleading ads.”
Healthcare service providers must also refrain from implying superiority of doctors or suggesting guaranteed results.
Before-and-after images
Although commonly used, before-and-after images are now only permitted under certain conditions.
The images must show the same patient and be taken with the same lens, with no Photoshop enhancements or equivalent editing software.
Written consent is also required when a patient's pictures, videos or statements are used for social media advertising. Live-streaming patients for promotional purposes while they are under general anaesthesia is prohibited.
“Before-and-after photographs can be very powerful because patients immediately connect with the transformation. The problem arises when lighting, angles, editing, or selective examples create an impression that the same outcome is guaranteed for everybody,” Dr Masri said.
For clinics, the challenge may be finding ways to show prospective patients what treatments can achieve without creating the impression that the same result is achievable for all patients.
Influencers under scrutiny
Healthcare facilities will now be responsible for any promotional material filmed on their premises, including content filmed on personal devices by patients or influencers.
That could change the relationship between Dubai's clinics and social media creators, who have become an increasingly prominent part of the marketing of aesthetic procedures.
“It completely changes how clinics work with commercial sponsors and influencers,” said Dr Hishmat. “In cosmetic medicine, influencer posts often raised ethical concerns: non-medical individuals were paid to share personal reviews without discussing health risks, surgical complications, or individual body differences.”
Dubai's medical tourism reputation
The changes come as Dubai continues to develop its healthcare and medical tourism sector.
The Dubai Health Authority's standards state that one of the regulator's responsibilities is supporting the continued growth of health tourism while maintaining patient safety and quality of care.
For a city that attracts residents and international patients for aesthetic and medical treatments, confidence in the information presented online is increasingly important, industry executives say.
“The major advantages are better patient protection, more realistic expectations, greater transparency, and stronger trust in Dubai's healthcare sector,” Dr Masri said.
Medical tourism is on the rise in the UAE. Dubai hosted more than 690,000 medical tourists in 2023, with collective spending exceeding Dh1.03 billion ($280 million), and that number is rising.
“It’s important to understand that the DHA’s updated rules are not meant to slow down business growth; they are an investment in the trust and long-term quality of healthcare in Dubai,” Dr Hishmat said.
“Dubai is a global leader in medical tourism, and long-term growth relies on international standards, transparency, and patient safety – not viral social-media trends.”
Dr Masri agreed. “Medicine should never become just another product on social media,” he said.
