Why this deserves more care than a typical social media photo
Before/after photos of medical or medical-adjacent treatments can reveal health-related information (a skin condition being treated, a medical procedure performed) — this raises the stakes for consent beyond a typical service photo.
This guide provides general considerations, not legal advice. If your business could be subject to health privacy regulations (see our Patient Information Privacy Basics guide), consult a qualified healthcare attorney about your specific consent process and documentation requirements.
Written consent is more defensible than verbal
A documented, written consent (even a simple signed form or confirmed text message) is more defensible than a verbal "sure, that's fine" — especially for content involving anything that could be considered sensitive health information.
What good consent documentation covers
- Specific permission for the specific use (social media, website, both) — don't assume broad consent from a narrow agreement.
- Whether the client can be identified (face visible vs. cropped/anonymized).
- The client's ability to withdraw consent later and have content removed.
Build consent collection into your standard intake or checkout process for any treatment where before/after photos are common, rather than asking informally in the moment, which is easier to forget or handle inconsistently.
Consider anonymization where full consent isn't available or appropriate
Cropping out identifying features (face, distinctive marks) can reduce — though not necessarily eliminate — privacy concerns, but don't treat this as a substitute for genuine consent when a client is otherwise identifiable.
Frequently asked questions
Is verbal consent ever enough? It may be legally sufficient in some cases, but written consent provides much better documentation if a question ever arises later — default to written consent, especially for anything medical-adjacent.
Can a client change their mind after consenting? Best practice is to honor a request to remove previously-consented content if they later change their mind, even if not always strictly required — this protects the relationship and your reputation.
