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Aidan Jones

The face of beauty in Asia is changing, says Dr Dissapong Panithaporn. He should know, as he sees it every day in Thailand.
The younger generation, women and men in their mid-twenties, are edging away from plastic surgery and fillers towards something more natural, the leading Thai dermatologist said.
‘’The whole trend has shifted from anti-ageing to longevity of skin, prevention and preservation rather than correction or repair,’’ Dissapong – better known as Dr Joe – said from his Bangkok clinic The Demis.
Thailand is having a wellness and beauty moment – driven by a deep pool of skills and services in aesthetics, lower labour costs and a global clientele seeking sun, sizzling food and now a glow up.

The T-beauty industry is growing by 5 per cent each year, according to Thailand’s trade promotion department, which forecasts it will be worth over US$10 billion by 2030.
In comparison, China has a US$75 billion beauty industry, Japan comes next with US$28 billion and K-beauty icon South Korea with US$13 billion.
But while it may be skin deep, beauty is certainly not cheap.
At The Demis, where even the lattes are served with the client’s face printed on them, laser therapies start at around US$1,000 for a course to rejuvenate skin and bring back a youthful “glow”. These sessions can go well upwards of US$3,000 – but still several times cheaper than in London or New York.
Dissapong’s clientele include A-listers Kim Kardashian, Gwyneth Paltrow and Jackson Wang, and he is in such demand that there is a two-month waiting list to see him.
Some of his wealthy clients think nothing of making a flying visit to Bangkok for a few hours just to get his treatment.
“Dermatologists are different from plastic surgeons,” he said. “Plastic surgeons can change you, our duty is not dramatic change.”
Botox and lip fillers were booming until just recently, but the trend is turning towards longer lasting, minimally invasive laser treatments, according to him.
That is in part thanks to influencers touting hyper-personalised cosmetics. Also, invasive procedures – even fillers – are becoming less appealing to those in their mid-twenties who are more concerned with staying young than trying to turn back the ravages of time.
Scary headlines about deaths resulting from extreme trends such as looksmaxxing – including bone shaping or breaking and self-administered drugs to enhance muscles by internet influencers – unlicensed weight-loss jabs and homespun fillers have also put off beauty chasers.
Dissapong, who became a dermatologist after medical school due to his own experiences battling acne as a student, said legitimate clinics would seek to find out more about their clients before taking them on.
“The most important word is ‘enough’. You have to know when and what is enough,” he said. “It takes time. There is no quick fix, this is the real skin journey. After a month, your results may not be there, give it two or three months.”
Cheap and personal
While East Asia has had a head-start in the beauty market, Southeast Asia with its cheaper price point is beginning to take market share.
Glow up tours to Ho Chi Minh and Bangkok already have an online audience for Asia’s youth who can afford it. T-beauty is also finding a niche on the shelves, with brands such as Panpuri and Gravich selling well across Southeast Asia.
One area where Thailand succeeds is personalisation. Unlike East Asians, Thais do not conform to a single skin tone or face shape of face so the industry has to work that into its product development.
“We’re in the golden era of Thai beauty right now,” said Nuchata “Mind” Sukkang, a make-up artist whose tutorials on her mindmakeup TikTok handle have gone viral.


“K-beauty had its moment, but it feels like it’s starting to plateau. Beauty standards are shifting with the times. It’s becoming more about diversity, and more specifically about drawing out each person’s own beauty, their best version of themselves.’’
Nuchata, who finished an architecture degree before opening her own make-up studio, has worked with actors and singers on Thai screens, including “girls love” and “boys love” blockbusters that have gathered fans from Brazil to China.
“Thai beauty has a very distinct character. Korean beauty leans softer and more delicate. But if you look at it from an Asian perspective, Thai beauty sits somewhere in the middle,” she said.
“We have Asian features, but our bone structure is flatter than Westerners yet deeper and sharper than Koreans. That gives Thai beauty its own identity.”


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The T-beauty industry is growing by 5 per cent each year and is estimated to be worth over US$10 billion by 2030


The T-beauty industry is growing by 5 per cent each year and is estimated to be worth over US$10 billion by 2030.


Move over K-beauty, Thailand is the next big thing in aesthetics

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}The T-beauty industry is growing by 5 per cent each year and is estimated to be worth over US$10 billion by 2030

The T-beauty industry is growing by 5 per cent each year and is estimated to be worth over US$10 billion by 2030