If you have looked at Turkish surgeons on Instagram, you have probably noticed that comments are switched off on many posts that show results. It is not a platform glitch. It follows a Ministry of Health regulation, which has been replaced once since the first version appeared in 2023. The Official Gazette versions are summarized below, along with what they mean for you as a patient.

Key takeaways

  • Turkey's Ministry of Health regulation on health promotion requires posts with patient or procedure images to be closed to interaction. The 2023 text said comments; the 2025 text, in force since 12 November 2025, adds likes and reshares.
  • The 2023 rule banned comparative before-and-after images that create demand. The 2025 regulation instead allows them under conditions, such as same setting, dated images and written patient consent.
  • The rules govern what clinics and professionals post. As written, they do not govern independent review sites.
  • A closed comment section tells you about legal compliance, not about quality; registrations and independent sources are the place to check.

Why are comments turned off on Instagram posts?

Because the regulation requires it. The first version, published on 29 July 2023 (No. 32263), set conditions for visual content in health promotion. Article 7 said posts of this content must be fully closed to comments, and that patient comments or thank-you statements about the images could not be shared.

On 12 November 2025 the Ministry published a new regulation with the same name (No. 33075), and its Article 13 repeals the 2023 one. Article 7 of the new text says posts with this kind of visual content must be closed to user interactions such as comments, likes and reshares. It also bars advertising-style visual posts built on thank-you or satisfaction statements from patients or relatives, even if those were made elsewhere.

The 2023 version is therefore history. Anything that still describes it as the current rule is out of date.

Did the rules ban before-and-after photos?

They changed. In the 2023 text, Article 7 banned before and/or after images that compare results and create demand. In the 2025 text, no such ban appears. Instead, the regulation lists conditions for using images:

  • Patients must give explicit consent, in writing or electronically, may see the content first and may withdraw consent at any time.
  • No payment, discount or gift may be given for consent, and patients who refuse must be assured their treatment and fees will not change.
  • Images may not be edited or retouched, and no misleading makeup is allowed.
  • Before and after images must be taken in the same environment and under the same technical conditions, with the date of the procedure and the date of the image shown.
  • The post must state whether the images show the professional’s own real patient or are quoted from elsewhere, and name the source if quoted.
  • No images from inside surgery or the operating room, and no intimate body parts.
  • Visual posts cannot be boosted or sponsored (the regulation makes narrow exceptions for health tourism, below).
  • Posts aimed at people in Turkey must carry a short notice that results vary from person to person and that a detailed opinion from a doctor is advised first.

Article 12 sets administrative sanctions and refers to Laws 3359 and 1219. The annex to the 2025 regulation contains the administrative sanction form.

Can clinics still market to foreign patients?

Yes, under separate conditions. Article 8 of the 2025 regulation covers facilities and intermediaries with an international health tourism authorization certificate. They may run promotion for foreign audiences on a separate website or social account that states it serves health tourism, with the target audience set abroad and automatic targeting turned off. Promotion aimed at creating demand among people living in Turkey is prohibited. Article 8 also lets such a facility show patient stories, comments or thank-you statements on its foreign-facing site or account if it documents the patient’s consent.

How the comment-closing rule in Article 7 and the patient-story provision in Article 8 interact for a particular account is a legal question, and nothing here accuses any account of breaking the rules. If you see open comments or testimonials, it does not by itself tell you anything about quality.

What does this mean for you?

Comments were never a reliable way to judge a surgeon, and these rules mean you will see fewer of them on official accounts. As written, the rules apply to health professionals’ and facilities’ own promotion, not to independent platforms, so reviews there remain a separate matter. In common practice in Turkey, oversight of how the rules apply to content aimed at foreign patients is increasing, and clinics treat the rules as very strict: in practice, leaving comments open is understood to risk heavy fines and, at a later stage, loss of the license (editorial note, October 2026; a practical observation, not a legal reading). Read how online reviews get distorted before you rely on them.

Use the rules as a checklist instead. A post that shows dated, same-condition images and says whether they are the surgeon’s own patients is following the regulation. A post that is boosted, heavily edited or collects patient praise in the comments is a reason to ask questions. Our guide to judging before-and-after photos lists what to check. Our guide to the influencer trap explains how to check a surgeon’s registration, and choosing a rhinoplasty surgeon lists what to ask.

Questions to ask a clinic

  • Are the before-and-after images of your own patients, and may I see the dates and the consent process?
  • Which authorization does your facility hold for international patients, and can I see it?
  • Who will operate on me, and are they the surgeon shown in these posts?
  • Can I speak with a past patient who agreed to share contact details?
  • Is your account for foreign patients separate from the one for patients in Turkey?

For the broader safety picture, read is Turkish medicine safe for surgery.

Sources

All pages were opened and checked on 10 October 2026.