HWG – Health Advertising Act.
The law regulating advertising for medical treatments. Among other things it bans before/after images for Botox and filler treatments and promises of success.
The German Health Advertising Act explained: what practices may not show or promise for Botox and fillers
A closer look.
The Heilmittelwerbegesetz protects patients from misleading advertising for medicines, medical devices and treatments. For aesthetic medicine, § 11 is most relevant – it bans advertising with before/after images for operative plastic-surgical procedures – and § 3, which bans misleading statements and promises of success.
In 2025 the Federal Court of Justice clarified that injections with botulinum toxin and fillers also count as operative procedures under the law – before/after images are not permitted in advertising for them. Equally impermissible are assurances of success, promises of complete painlessness or absence of risk, as well as discount campaigns and prize draws for medical services.
Permitted is factual information about procedures, risks, process and guide prices – exactly what this website does. For you the HWG is a quality marker: anyone still advertising with before/after images or promises of success is not complying with the law.
This lexicon entry is general information and does not replace the medical consultation required under German law (§ 630e BGB).
At a glance.
A question about HWG (German Health Advertising Act)? Send us a short WhatsApp message – we usually reply the same working day.
Ask via WhatsAppFrequently asked questions.
Why don't you show before/after pictures?
Because it is not legally permitted for Botox and filler treatments. What is realistic is discussed in the consultation.
How do I recognise a serious practice?
Factual information about risks, no promises of success, guide prices per GOÄ, treatment by a physician.
Sources and further reading.
- § 630e BGB – duty to inform before treatment (German Civil Code)
- GOÄ – German scale of medical fees (official text)
- § 11 HWG – ban on before/after images and advertising promises
- Professional code of the Medical Association North Rhine
- DGBT – German Society for Aesthetic Botulinum Toxin Therapy
- AWMF – German clinical practice guidelines
External links open in a new window; their operators are responsible for their content. Medical responsibility for this page: Katayoun Mostaghimi, specialist in general medicine. Last updated: 2026-10-05.
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