Posting my treatment on social media: privacy and consent
Quick facts
- Question
- What changes when the patient posts their own treatment
- Principle
- The image belongs to the patient; the clinic only uses it with separate, specific consent
- Rules
- LGPD, professional confidentiality, and the rules of the professional board and advertising
- Avoid
- Reposting, tagging, or commenting without written authorization
The patient loves the result and posts it to their story, tagging the clinic. It looks great: free exposure, spontaneous social proof. But the question "so, can I repost it?" hides a minefield of privacy, LGPD, professional confidentiality, and advertising rules. This page answers the question from the patient's side ("can I post what I had done?") and shows what changes for the clinic.
For the professional's side of publicizing, see what you can publicize: CFO and CONAR, and for image consent, consent and LGPD in photos.
Can the patient post?
Yes. The image of the face, the body, and the experience are theirs. Nobody forbids a patient from sharing what they went through. The point is what the clinic does with it: reposting, commenting, highlighting, turning it into an ad, or charging for visibility are acts of the professional, and those are subject to rules on consent, LGPD, and advertising. See patient photos on social media: risk.
What does the LGPD say about the patient's image?
The LGPD (Brazil's General Data Protection Law) treats the image of the face as personal data and, in health contexts, as sensitive personal data. Use for publicity requires an appropriate legal basis, and the clearest path is specific, free, informed, and revocable consent. Generic consent in the procedure form does not cover publicity. See image use consent and separate consent for publicizing images.
| Situation | Caution |
|---|---|
| Patient posts and tags the clinic | The image is theirs; the clinic can say thanks privately |
| Clinic reposts the story | Needs specific authorization for that use |
| Clinic uses a photo in an ad | Specific publicity consent, and professional board rules |
| Clinic comments publicly | May reveal that the person is a patient; mind confidentiality |
| Patient asks for it to be deleted | Comply under the LGPD, with a simple process |
How should the clinic handle a spontaneous post?
- Do not pressure the patient or offer a benefit to post. An incentive can amount to irregular advertising, under the professional board's rules.
- Do not repost without specific, written authorization.
- Say thanks privately, without publicly confirming the relationship.
- If the patient asks you to publicize it, formalize it with a dedicated form, stating where and for how long the image will be used, and the possibility of withdrawing.
- Be careful about what the image promises: a before and after cannot be presented as a guarantee of results.
The internal policy template is in template: team social media policy, and the marketing topic in LGPD in the clinic's marketing.
And what should the patient think about before posting?
From the patient's point of view, an honest piece of guidance is worthwhile, without a tone of censorship: what is posted stays on the internet and can be copied; showing the face while swollen or bruised may feel uncomfortable later; posting the result too early shows a state that is still going to change. If the patient appears in a photo with details of the location or of other people, there is also the privacy of others. Advise without controlling: the decision is theirs.
Where Harmy helps
Advertising rules vary by the professional's board. Check your board's rules and, if needed, seek legal advice.
Frequently asked questions
Can the patient post their own treatment?
Yes, the image and the experience are theirs. What changes is what the clinic can do with it: reposting, publicizing, or commenting requires specific consent, and the professional must follow the rules of their professional board.
Can the clinic repost the patient's story?
Only with express, specific authorization for that use, and respecting the professional board's advertising rules. Reposting without authorization, even if the profile is public, is risky.
Can the patient ask for a photo to be deleted?
Yes. The data subject can withdraw consent and request deletion, under the LGPD (Brazil's data protection law). The clinic should have a simple process to handle the request.
Can I ask the patient to post?
It is not recommended to offer a benefit for posting or to pressure the patient. Under advertising rules, you need to be careful with incentives and with what the content promises.
Harmy images are illustrative simulations generated by AI from the patient's photo to support the conversation between practitioner and patient. They are not a promise of results. Indication, technique, product and volume are solely the decision of the licensed practitioner. This content is for information only and does not replace a clinical assessment.