Thais are obsessed with appearances both physically and socially. As a result, there are some pretty weird beauty products out there. Not all directly from Thailand, but nevertheless, Thailand has adopted them like a plastic surgeon’s knife.

But it wasn’t until I was recording Thai Girl Talk’s podcast about the death of Athitiay “Kratae” Eiamyai (a Thailand “pretty” a model for high end products) that I learned about more bizarre and fashionable products. For example, did you know there is a whitening cream for your vagina?

At first, I just scrunched up my eyebrows trying to picture what that would look like. I kept thinking, is the way it looks now, you know, darkish, undesirable? But my podcasting partner, a Chiang Mai native, explained the whitening product originally comes from India and is considered an aid in helping your nong sao or “little sister” look more youthful.

Good god. I don’t know about you sisters, but as I am enjoying my last year in my 30s, the last thing I want to worry about is how my nong sao is appearing to the opposite sex. I’m already keeping a closed eye on my wrinkles and greying hair.

I figure most men would be simply thrilled to meet your little sister, and if he doesn’t like the way you look, then you need to tell his nong chai, pope gun mai.

Product #2 is the vaginal enhancement and tightening cream. Please see above for my feelings on the matter. I think we’d have to be really careful about what we are applying to such a sensitive area, an area I might add, that is already amazing. But what do I know?

Next up! Breast slapping.

Yeahhhh. Doesn’t it feel like some perverted guy’s boob of an idea? I haven’t tried it, I guess, because it would take a long long long long long long, very long time to get any results.

The other product l learned about through talking with fellow podcaster, Mia, is skin whitening injections. Ewwwwww.

I know. Disgusting. Well, the super gross part was hearing that one girl experienced leakage. Leakage. *Shudder* Can you imagine? I’d rather not.

The next 2 products I saw at either 7-11 or at MBK when I first moved here: the infamous pink nipple cream and the sheep (?) placenta cream. These products on the color of particular body parts, pink and white, just drew attention to the fact that I wasn’t born with the desirable shade. It makes me feel bad for younger women and girls who think they need to look different.

I never understood why Asians or the Chinese were considered to have “yellow” skin. But it wasn’t until my friend and I compared our skin tones side by side, my arm against his “white” coloring, that I noticed I had a yellowish hue.

Perhaps these whitening products will help alleviate any yellowness that is in my skin. But to be perfectly honest I’d rather be yellowish than pinkish. Pink burns. I tan. And I’m happy with the way I look, so I’m a little crazy.

This last beauty obsession, reminds me of Halloween, the “big eye” contact lenses trend was something I first experienced as an English teacher in Chiang Mai. I automatically knew something was “wrong” when I looked at her. And then I asked, “Are you wearing contacts?”

big-eyesWhile it is common for the ladies to wear the super black contacts to create the illusion of “big eyes”, I remember one of my boys entered the classroom wearing red ones. Ug.

I’ve even had a student ask me if I was wearing “big eyes”. I laughed in discomfort and surprise. But maybe I should hold off until someone asks me, “Have you had the breast slapping treatment?”

*I originally posted this on ChickyNet.com but since my new theme supports images so beautifully I couldn’t resist a repost 🙂

17 replies on “🇹🇭 7 Strange Thai Beauty Products and Treatments”

  1. I think in the eyes of many men (maybe most) girls/women will look worse if they use these products, especially if the usage goes horribly awry. One of my students in China had to wear a face-mask in public for months because she overdid the whitening cream, or whatever the product was.

    And those big dark brown contacts. I call them Japanese Horror Movie eyes. And when the Asian girls wear blue or other colored lenses they start to look like Terminators, reptiles, or aliens.

    On the other hand you got the people who refuse to pluck the hair out of their lucky moles, soooooo, there’s a happy medium there somewhere.

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    1. Well said. It’s nice to hear from the male contingency. Because I think women are doing this b/c they believe this is what men like. But most men I know like women to look natural.

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      1. I kinda’ like the whole 60’s Japanese Sci-Fi movie “alien” look you got goin’ on on your homepage. I hear those space suits are uncomfortably warm though, and also there have been complaints about the antennae not being fully functional. Never mind. Joking aside, I think we’ve all learned a little from the King of Pop about going too far, and then taking it even further, and then trying to overcompensate for that. But, er, I guess people should be free to design their own look, however bizarre or repugnant, hopefully without hurting themselves in the process. Slap happy B-day! (Oh no. Not THAT kind of slapping, like you mentioned in the article!)

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  2. I’ve been away from blogging for a while, but I’m so glad to catch up on your blog! Sadly, this post didn’t surprise me much after living in China. The whitening craze is out of control there! People used to ask me almost daily what products I use to be so white. My reply is that I’m just naturally pale! Haha. It’s funny that in the US, I hate that, but there it made me feel pretty. Cultural lens, I suppose. And I couldn’t handle the breast slapping video! Hahaha.

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  3. did you notice that the before & after in the slap video was way off? she had clearly also had whitening & a v-chin implant or v-chin injections.

    i’d like to add to this that the last time i went into a local pharmacy, i saw ads for labiaplasty. i find that the MOST horrifying of all of these.

    very very sad.

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    1. ps- as an lmt (in america; not here), i am quite worried about the side effects of the slapping. clearly this is swelling, but i worry about the lymph storms likely being caused. seems silly & harmless, but it’s not. for example, after something as simple as a waxing, you are supposed to avoid sex & exercise for a day to prevent a lymph storm sending you into a fever. clearly the slapping is more intense than a waxing.

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      1. Yeah, not sure. You’re probably right, good point.

        I’ve heard beauty is pain but unfortunately, girls will keep doing this…

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  4. This skin whitening is totally maddening….I have seen women there almost embarassed of having a slight tan.
    There is a new “product” called Fuco Pure, who apparently can flatten the stomach and burn the fat, on sale in Thailand now. An other fraud…….That is just sad.

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    1. These never go away do they? In the US, I remember every New Year seeing the latest books on losing weight and fad diets. But the quick fix products are frightening but someone is buying them. You know what I mean?

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  5. Long term use of skin whiteners can lead to pigmentation increasing to the joints of the fingers, toes, buttocks and ears. The skin of the face can become thinned and the area around the eyes can have increased pigmentation causing a ‘bleach panda effect’.;.*’

    Please do check out our own blog
    <http://healthfitnessbook.com/

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      2. Agreed. When I was a teenager I wanted to look more Caucasian because that was the standard of beauty all around me. Now, I know better…

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