If you have looked at cosmetic clinic websites lately, you may have noticed a change. Most treatment names have gone. Photo galleries have gone. Price lists are hard to find.
Clinics are still doing the same work. What changed is what a clinic can say in public. Here is what happened, in plain words, and what it means for you.
What changed, and when
New national guidelines came into effect on 2 September 2025. They cover how practitioners advertise higher risk non-surgical cosmetic procedures. The national regulator for health practitioners wrote them with the practitioner boards. Clinics across Australia updated their websites, social media and ads to match.
A separate set of rules sits alongside them. The federal medicines regulator oversees medicines and medical devices. Australian law has long said that prescription medicines cannot be advertised to the public.
Together, these two sets of rules explain most of what you have noticed.
Why treatment names went
Many cosmetic treatments involve prescription medicines. Advertising a prescription medicine to the public is not allowed. The rule applies to cosmetic treatments in the same way it applies to any other prescription medicine.
The federal medicines regulator has also made clear that the rule reaches beyond brand names. Everyday category words can count. So can short forms, nicknames and hashtags.
So a clinic website now describes the consultation and the care. It leaves the medicine unnamed.
Some devices and non-prescription products can be named. Other advertising rules still apply. That is why some clinic websites still name certain treatments in one section and say much less in another.
Why photo galleries went
The new guidelines restrict before and after photos. They also restrict images that have been edited or enhanced.
The thinking is simple. A photo of one person, in one light, from one angle, cannot show how your own care will go. So you will see far fewer of these photos on clinic websites now.
Why reviews say less about treatment
National law restricts testimonials in health advertising. Reviews that talk about treatment are restricted on a clinic’s own website and social media.
People can still share their own experiences on independent review sites. The guidelines restrict testimonials on a clinic’s own website and social media. So you will see few, if any, reviews there.
Why prices are hard to find
The new guidelines ban financial inducements for cosmetic procedures. That includes deals, prizes, and free or reduced-price treatments in return for promotion.
The idea is to take pressure out of a decision that deserves time.
There is a separate rule on prices. It comes from the federal medicines regulator. Stating a price for a prescription cosmetic injectable is likely to count as advertising it. That goes for a total price and a price per unit. So you will rarely see those prices online.
Your consultation is the place to talk about cost. You can ask for your options and what each one costs, in writing.
How to compare clinics now
With less on each website, comparing clinics works a little differently. Here are some things you can still look at:
- how the clinic describes its consultation
- who you will see, and whether that is the same person who would treat you
- what the clinic says about looking after you afterwards
Then pick up the phone and ask a question or two. You are welcome to call more than one clinic. How the conversation feels is useful to know.
The detail happens at your consultation
These rules are about public advertising. A private conversation at your appointment is a different setting.
At your consultation you can talk things through in detail. You can ask what is being suggested, what it involves, what the risks are and what it costs.
At Mirage, every visit starts with a consultation in person, here in the clinic. We get to know you and look at your skin with you. Then we talk through what might suit you. That may be a treatment. It may also be some advice, a review later, a referral to another practitioner, or nothing for now.
Come in for a chat
If you would like to talk things through, we would love to meet you. You can read about the care we provide first. When you are ready, get in touch to book a consultation. There is no rush.
Individual results vary from person to person. A consultation does not guarantee a particular outcome, and for some people the answer is that no treatment is appropriate. Our services are for adults aged 18 and over.