Meta and Google for dermatology telehealth
Skin and Dermatology
Acne, anti-aging, rosacea and custom compounded formulas, sold through a photo-based visit and a monthly bottle. A visual category in which the visual is the thing the platforms restrict.
How it is sold
The model, before the rules.
The patient uploads photos and a short history, a prescriber reviews them asynchronously, and a partner pharmacy ships either an approved drug (tretinoin, spironolactone, doxycycline) or a compounded custom cream that mixes several actives. Isotretinoin adds iPLEDGE enrolment and monthly checks. The subscription is the bottle, and the photo upload is where the sensitive data enters the funnel.
How it gets restricted
Before-and-after skin, which reads as inferiority framing under Meta's health rules, and second-person hooks ("struggling with acne?") under the personal-attributes rule. Drug names without certification. TikTok's outright ban on cosmetic claims to cure acne or remove wrinkles, which catches prescription programs that try to run as skincare. And the pixel on the photo-upload step, which can forward an image URL or a condition and move the account into the restricted health tier.
Paid outlookCertification first
Policy by platform
Where a platform asks for LegitScript, it means LegitScript certification: the third-party check Meta and Google require before a telehealth business can name a prescription drug in an ad. It certifies the business, its prescribers and its pharmacies. It does not change what a drug is.
- Meta
- Naming tretinoin, spironolactone or any prescription requires LegitScript certification and written authorization, 18+ targeting and a disclaimer. Health and wellness rules bar statements of inferiority about appearance and sensational claims; general cosmetic before-and-after is allowed only at 18+ and is a poor fit for a prescription program. Personal-attribute framing is the most common rejection.
- Google Ads
- Prescription drug services certification is required to name drugs and bid on drug terms. Unrealistic cosmetic claims are restricted. Dermatology and acne-treatment intent ("online dermatologist", "acne treatment online") is open.
- TikTok
- Prescription medicine is not allowed as an ad subject in the US, and cosmetic products cannot claim to remove or cure acne or remove wrinkles. Dermatologist-led education and brand awareness only.
Policy pages read 2026-08-30. Meta: Drugs and pharmaceuticals · Meta: Health and wellness · Meta: Personal attributes · Google: Healthcare and medicines · Google: Prescription drug services certification. Full policy tracker
What we run
The plan for skin.
- Channels
- Google Search on dermatology and treatment intent, drug terms after certification. Meta on the visit-and-formula offer with provider or product creative. TikTok for dermatologist content that builds the brand and feeds search.
- Creative that passes
- A board-certified provider reviews your photos within a day, the formula ships monthly, here is the price. Product in hand, provider to camera, texture and packaging. No faces mid-breakout, no split-screen skin, no "you".
- Landing page
- Treatment page first, the formula and the approved-drug options second, compounded formulas labelled as compounded and not FDA-approved. Isotretinoin gets its own page with the iPLEDGE requirements stated.
- Tracking
- Server-side events with generic names and hashed identifiers only. The photo-upload step fires nothing client-side; no image URL, condition or form field reaches an ad platform. The click ID rides a bridge token into the intake platform so the prescription is attributed to the campaign.
What we measure
- CPQL
- Cost per qualified lead: photos and history submitted, eligible state.
- Consult booked
- Async visit submitted for prescriber review.
- Rx issued
- Formula or medication prescribed and first bottle ordered.
- 90-day retention
- Subscribers still shipping at month three, by campaign.
Reported weekly by campaign from the tracking installed in the first two weeks. We publish the definitions, not a benchmark, because the number depends on your price, your states and your pharmacy.
Commitments
What is done by which day.
Policy read of every ad, page and pixel event, with the photo-step exposure called out
Server-side tracking live with the upload step silent client-side
Treatment-intent search and provider-led Meta campaigns live
Weekly report on CPQL, Rx issued and retention by campaign
Days count from kickoff. Certification timelines belong to LegitScript and the platforms, so campaigns that need drug terms start on program intent and add them when approval lands.
Skin questions
What brands in this category ask first.
Can we show before-and-after photos?
Meta allows before-and-after for general cosmetic products and procedures at 18+ and bars inferiority framing under its health rules. A prescription acne program is a drug advertiser, not a cosmetic one, and reviewers treat split-screen skin as an inferiority claim. We build creative around the provider, the product and the routine instead.
Our custom formula is compounded. Can we advertise it?
The program, yes. The compounded formula is an unapproved formulation and the ad does not name it or its actives. The page explains the formula, says it is compounded and not FDA-approved, and names the prescriber.
Is the photo upload a HIPAA problem for advertising?
It is the single biggest exposure in the funnel. A client-side pixel on that step can send an image URL or a form field to an ad platform. We fire nothing client-side there; the event is sent from the server with a generic name and a hashed identifier under a BAA.
Can we run acne creative on TikTok?
Brand and dermatologist content, yes. Cosmetic claims to cure acne are prohibited and prescription medicine is not an allowed ad subject in the US, so TikTok carries the story and sends people to search.
Next step
Start with the audit.
We read your live ads, landing pages and pixel against the rules on this page and send back the flags and the plan. If the account is already restricted, the rescue is the faster door.
Growth audit
See where your growth is leaking.
We audit the funnel, the tracking, and the compliance posture, then hand you the roadmap. The people writing it have run the same funnel from the inside. You keep it whether or not we work together.
- Reviewed
- Funnel, tracking, and compliance posture
- Discussed
- One 30-minute call with the operator on your account
- Delivered
- A written roadmap within 5 business days