CHIANG RAI – Provincial public health officers and Mae Suai police raided an illegal beauty clinic in Mae Suai district, Chiang Rai, where they found an unqualified practitioner, unregistered medicines, and unauthorised medical equipment.
On Thursday, Dr Ekachai Kamlue, Chiang Rai Provincial Public Health Doctor, assigned staff from the Consumer Protection and Public Health Pharmacy Division and the Legal Division of the Chiang Rai Provincial Public Health Office to join forces with the Mae Suai District Public Health Office and investigators from the Mae Suai Police Station.
The team inspected a location suspected of operating as a healthcare facility without a licence, following complaints that the premises might be breaking public health laws. At the scene, officers found that the place was run as a beauty treatment clinic, offering services such as treatment for dark spots, acne, melasma, and freckles, as well as facial scrubs and facial massage.
However, when officials asked the person in charge for documents, they could not provide any licence to run or operate a medical facility.
This counts as running and operating a healthcare facility without permission. The clinic had also advertised its services without approval, which breaches the Healthcare Facility Act B.E. 2541 (1998), sections 16, 24, and 38. Officers also found that the person providing treatment was not a licensed medical doctor. This is an offence of practising medicine without holding a medical practitioner licence, under the Medical Profession Act B.E. 2525 (1982), section 26.
In addition, the clinic was selling medicines without a permit, and some of the medicines had not been registered as drug formulations. This breaches the Drug Act B.E. 2510 (1967), section 12 and section 72 (4). The team also discovered medical devices and equipment being sold and used without proper approval. This is an offence under the Medical Device Act B.E. 2551 (2008), sections 24 and 46/1.
Officials arrested the person responsible and seized the evidence, then took both the suspect and the confiscated items to Mae Suai Police Station for legal action.
Illegal Beauty Clinics
Thailand has become a major destination for medical tourism, especially for cosmetic and aesthetic treatments. Across the country, more than 1,500 beauty clinics offer relatively low-cost services such as Botox, fillers, and skin-whitening procedures. This rapid growth has also opened the door to a shadow market of illegal clinics. Many are run by unlicensed practitioners or foreign owners using fake qualifications.
These operators focus on very low prices (often 50–70% cheaper than licensed clinics) and heavy social media advertising to draw in both locals and international visitors. The risks are serious, including infections, disfigurement, and even death when fake products or poorly trained staff are involved.
Social pressure to have “fair, delicate” features feeds this demand, especially among lower-income Thais who are more price-sensitive. Experts regularly warn that extremely cheap cosmetic procedures are a danger, and joke that in Thailand, only street food should be cheap.
Illegal operators often blur the line between simple beauty services, such as facials, and medical treatments, such as injections. Many of these clinics work without licences from the Ministry of Public Health (MOPH) and fall outside normal checks.
Warning signs include so-called “ghost” doctors who lend their licences but are never on-site, drugs that are not registered with authorities, and foreign staff who pretend to be qualified professionals. As of late 2024, police and the Food and Drug Administration are still cracking down on these networks, including groups linked to international operations.
