The 11 checks
- HighCalls out the reader's age, body or appearanceMeta ad policy
- MediumMakes people feel bad about how they lookMeta ad policy
- HighGuarantees results or promises permanenceFTC (truth in advertising)
- HighDownplays risks (painless, no side effects, 100% safe)FTC and FDA
- MediumMakes an FDA approval claim to double-checkFDA
- HighMarkets a compounded GLP-1 as a brand-name drugFDA
- HighPromises a specific amount of weight lossFTC and Meta ad policy
- MediumClaims to be the best or #1 without proofFTC and state medical boards
- MediumShows patient results or testimonialsFTC Endorsement Guides
- MediumUses a title or credential that could misleadState medical and nursing boards
- LowUses a brand name like Botox as a generic wordManufacturer trademark rules
How the checker works
Paste your copy
An ad, an Instagram caption, a Google Business post or a block of landing page copy. Up to 2,000 characters.
Every line gets checked
The checker splits your copy into lines and tests each one against 11 rules that med spa ads break most often.
See what to fix
You get a 0–100 risk score, the risky lines highlighted, and a safer rewrite for every flag.
The checks run on Jev, a classification model built to make one narrow judgment at a time and say how sure it is.
That's why each flag comes with a confidence, and why borderline lines show up as "worth a look" instead of a hard fail.
Who actually enforces med spa ad rules
Most med spa owners think of ad rules as "whatever Meta rejects."
Meta is only the first gate, and the one that costs you the least when it says no.
Meta
Rejects or limits ads that call out the reader's age, body or appearance, or that play on insecurity. A rejection costs you a day, but repeated ones can restrict the ad account.
The FTC
Requires health and results claims to be truthful and backed by evidence, and treats testimonials and before-and-afters as claims that the result is typical.
The FDA
Polices claims about drugs and devices: what is FDA-approved, for which use, and how compounded drugs like semaglutide can be described.
State boards
Medical and nursing boards set the rules on titles, credentials and advertising by licensed providers. They vary by state, and a complaint can start with one competitor's screenshot.
We ran 773 real med spa ads through these same checks: see the med spa ad claims study for what they found.
The checker covers the wording problems all four care about.
It can't see your images, your landing page or your state's specific rules, so treat it as a first pass, not a sign-off.
The mistakes that show up most
Talking to the reader about their body is the most common reason med spa ads get rejected.
"Over 40?", "your wrinkles" and "tired of your double chin?" all imply something about the person reading, which Meta's personal attributes policy doesn't allow.
The fix is almost always the same: talk about the treatment and the result, not about the reader.
Promising outcomes is the next most common problem.
"Guaranteed results", "permanent" and "look 10 years younger" are promises no aesthetic treatment can keep for everyone, and the FTC treats an unprovable promise as deceptive.
Downplaying risk sits right behind it.
"Painless", "zero downtime" and "no side effects" are easy to write and hard to defend for an injectable, a laser or a prescription drug.
FDA wording trips up a lot of otherwise careful ads.
FDA approval belongs to a specific product for a specific use, so a "FDA-approved lip flip" is a false claim: the lip flip is an off-label use.
Weight loss ads carry the most risk right now.
Compounded semaglutide and tirzepatide are not the brand-name drugs, and ads that call them "generic Ozempic" or "the same as Wegovy" are exactly what the FDA has been sending warning letters about.
Risky vs safer, side by side
Likely to get flagged
- Over 40? Your wrinkles are aging you.
- Guaranteed results with painless botox.
- Our FDA-approved lip flip.
- Generic Ozempic, lose 30 lbs in 30 days.
- The #1 med spa in Dallas.
Safer and still specific
- Soften fine lines in a 20-minute visit.
- Botox Cosmetic from $12/unit with licensed nurse injectors.
- Lip flip using a neuromodulator, by a licensed injector.
- Medical weight loss with compounded semaglutide, after a consult.
- 4.9 stars from 600+ Google reviews.
The safer versions still name a treatment, a price or a proof point.
Compliant copy doesn't have to be vague, and vague copy doesn't book consults anyway.
What a good score does and doesn't mean
A score of 90 or higher means the checker didn't find the common wording problems.
It doesn't mean the ad will be approved, because Meta also reviews the image, the landing page and the targeting.
A score under 60 means the ad is likely to be rejected or to draw a complaint as written.
Rewrite it before you put money behind it.
Lines marked "worth a look" are borderline.
Read them the way a skeptical reviewer would, and change them if you can't defend the claim.
Passing review is the easy part
An ad that passes review can still book nobody.
In most med spa ad accounts, the bigger leak is the page the ad sends people to, not the ad itself.
That's the part I spent five years testing as Director of CRO at LaserAway, and it's what the managed Meta ads service is built around: fresh static ads every month, sent to a landing page that gets tested, not to your homepage.
If you want a second set of eyes on your ads and the page behind them, get a free audit.
Frequently asked questions
Is this checker legal advice?
No. It's a fast risk check that catches the wording problems that come up most in med spa ads. Advertising rules for medical practices vary by state, and only an attorney who knows your state's rules can give you legal advice. Use the checker to catch the obvious problems before an ad goes live, and ask your attorney about anything high-stakes.
Can I say Botox in a Facebook ad?
Yes. Meta allows ads for cosmetic injectables to adults, and you can name the product. The problems come from how you say it: calling out the reader's wrinkles or age, promising results, calling it painless, or using 'botox' as a generic word for every neuromodulator. The checker flags all four.
Are before-and-after photos allowed in med spa ads?
Meta allows before-and-after images for cosmetic procedures in ads shown to adults, but weight loss ads have tighter rules. The FTC also treats a before-and-after as a claim that the result is typical, so pick typical results and say what most patients can expect. The checker reads text only, so it can't review the photo itself.
Can I advertise compounded semaglutide?
Compounded semaglutide and tirzepatide are not FDA-approved, and they are not Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro or Zepbound. Calling them 'generic Ozempic' or saying they are the same as the brand is the claim that has drawn FDA warning letters. Use the ingredient name, say it is compounded, and keep weight loss promises out of the ad.
What happens to the text I paste?
It's sent to the checker, scored, and discarded. The ad text isn't saved or logged. Only the score and which rules fired are counted, so we can see which problems come up most.
Does a high score mean my ad will be approved?
No. A high score means the checker didn't find the common wording problems. Meta also reviews the image, the landing page and the targeting, and state rules go beyond what any automated check can cover. A low score is a strong signal to rewrite before you spend money.