NMC glossary · Patients, privacy and consent
Before-And-After Photographs: What It Means Under The NMC Rules
Also searched as: Before and after photos, Surgical results, Case photos
An RMP shall not publish cases for promotion, advertise surgical results, or display “before and after” photographs, unless it is strictly for scientific or educational purposes with anonymised patient consent. Consent alone does not make promotional use acceptable.
Updated 7 November 2026. Reviewed by Tamojit Lodh, Founder of Medmatis. Built around the NMC's Public Notice No. R-13014/01/2024-Ethics of 6 October 2026. Not legal advice.
Key facts, with sources
Hide the 4 key facts and their sourcesShow the 4 key facts and their sources
| Fact | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Term | Before-and-after photographs (also searched as Before and after photos, Surgical results, Case photos) | Medmatis |
| In the notice | Not defined by the notice; this entry explains how the notice uses it. | NMC notice of 6 Oct 2026, cl. 8.1 (v), cl. 6.2, cl. 6.4, cl. 8.2 (i) |
| Applies to | Doctors (RMPs) | NMC notice of 6 Oct 2026 |
| In force | From 6 October 2026, with immediate effect. The NMC may issue clarifications and advisories (cl. 12). | NMC notice of 6 Oct 2026 |
In plain words
Clause 8.1 (v) lists publishing cases for promotional purposes, advertising surgical results, displaying before-and-after photographs, publicising celebrity patients and promoting personal success stories. The one stated exception is publication strictly for scientific or educational purposes, with anonymised patient consent.
The notice does not define “educational”, but the word “strictly” matters: a before-and-after image with a booking link is promotion. Research-based communication is allowed separately, where interesting case studies are published in reputed medical journals (cl. 8.2 i).
What it does not mean
- It does not ban all discussion of cases. Journal publication and genuinely educational use, with anonymised consent, are treated differently.
- It does not turn on the patient’s agreement. Clause 6.2 says consent does not make a prohibited before-and-after depiction permissible.
Side-by-side “before” and “after” images on a treatment page, with a price and a call button.
Illustrative wording only. It shows the idea and is not a clearance of any page.
The notice’s own words
Quoted from the NMC notice of 6 October 2026. Check the clause number against the original.
cl. 8.1 (v)Shall not publish cases for promotional purposes, advertise surgical results, display "before and after" photographs, publicize celebrity patients, promote personal success stories unless published strictly for scientific or educational purposes with anonymized patient consent.
cl. 6.2Patient consent shall not, by itself, make permissible any testimonial, endorsement, promotional patient story, before-and-after depiction, success claim or other advertising practice that is otherwise prohibited under these Guidelines or applicable law.
cl. 6.4Even where disclosure is lawfully permitted, reasonable safeguards shall be adopted by the hospital/medical institution and RMP shall be duty bound to prevent unnecessary disclosure of names or to crop, blur, black out, birth marks/ identification marks, or other information through which the patient may be identified.
cl. 8.2 (i)Only research-based communication, wherein they have published interesting case studies in reputed medical journals shall be allowed.
Our plain-language guide to the whole notice → Check your own text against these rules →
Frequently asked questions
Are before-and-after photos always banned?
They are barred as promotion. Publication strictly for scientific or educational purposes with anonymised patient consent is the stated exception (cl. 8.1 v), and consent alone does not make promotional use acceptable (cl. 6.2).
Can I show a case in a medical journal or conference?
Research-based communication, where interesting case studies are published in reputed medical journals, is allowed under the exceptions in clause 8.2 (i).
This entry explains a public notice in plain language and quotes its clause numbers. It is not legal advice. Read the original NMC notice and take advice on your own situation.
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