A letter from Pui · Lead Artist at N&Beauty
Thailand's Climate and Permanent Makeup: Sun, Pools and Sweat
Hello, I'm Pui, the artist behind N&Beauty. If you live in Bangkok — or you're here on holiday — the sun, the pool and the sweat aren't really optional. They're just part of the day. That makes the healing window slightly harder here than it would be somewhere cooler. It's completely manageable once you know which days matter. This is the part almost nobody writes about, so let me.
Chat on WhatsAppTwo numbers to remember: three days, and one week
That's really all you need to hold on to.
For the first three days, keep the treated area away from water. This one matters most. Then, somewhere around day seven to ten, a light crust may form — leave it alone and use the ointment I give you. By about a week, things have settled.
What makes this harder in Bangkok is that "keep it dry" isn't only about the shower. Sweat counts. Rain counts. The pool very much counts.
- First 3 days: keep the treated area away from water
- Around day 7–10: a crust may form. Don't pick it — use the ointment
- Hold off on makeup over the area until the skin has settled
The pool question
Almost every condo here has a pool, and for a lot of people a swim is simply what the weekend is. If you're visiting, the hotel pool is probably part of the plan too.
Give it the first week. Partly because we're keeping the area dry, and partly because pool water is an irritant on skin that's still healing. Saunas are out for the same week, and so is the sea.
One week is shorter than it sounds. It only feels like a sacrifice if it's unplanned.
- No pool, sauna or sea for the first week
- If you're travelling, booking your session toward the end of the trip is usually easier
- Plan the week before you book, not after
Strong sun, and how colour fades
Permanent makeup softens as your skin renews itself. That's the mechanism, and it isn't something to fight. But a life spent under strong sun changes how quickly that happens.
Once you've healed, sunscreen and a hat become genuinely worth the habit if you're outdoors a lot — they help the colour read the way you want for longer.
One thing to get the right way round: don't put sunscreen on the treated area while it's still healing. Wait until the skin has settled. People occasionally do this in the wrong order.
- After healing: sun protection helps the colour hold
- While healing: no sunscreen on the treated area until the skin has settled
- How quickly colour fades varies from person to person
If you sweat a lot
Gym regulars, golfers, anyone working outdoors — as a general tendency, colour fades faster on people who sweat a lot.
This isn't a problem with your skin. It just means the plan needs a little more room, and I may suggest touch-ups slightly closer together. Tell me about your week at the consultation and I'll build that in.
Before your session, I'll also ask you to skip alcohol the day before, and to avoid anything that changes your skin's condition significantly — hard training, saunas — in the run-up.
- Frequent sweating tends to fade colour faster
- The day before: no alcohol, no hard training, no sauna
- Tell me about your routine and I'll plan the touch-ups around it
When to book
People ask whether the dry season or the rainy season is better.
Honestly, either is fine. The season matters far less than what your week looks like afterwards. Avoid a week with a pool day in it, a trip, or a long stretch outdoors.
If you live here and nothing is forcing the timing, just pick a week that's quiet. That single choice does more than anything else on this page.
Questions
A few questions I'm often asked
Give it the first week — no pool, sauna or sea. And for the first three days in particular, keep the treated area away from water altogether.
A lot of time under strong sun does change how quickly the colour softens. Once you've healed, sunscreen and a hat help it hold. How quickly it fades varies from person to person, so I can't promise a fixed timeline.
Not at all. People who sweat a lot do tend to see colour fade faster, so I may space the touch-ups a little differently. Tell me about your routine at the consultation.
Either works. What matters more is the week after your session — pick one without a pool day, a trip, or long hours outdoors.
I'm not asking you to give up the sun or the pool — that's the life here, and it's a good one. All I need is one week where your plans lean slightly around it. Tell me what your calendar looks like and we'll find the right day together. — Pui, N&Beauty
About the author
Pui — Lead Artist at N&Beauty
Pui is a PhiBrows-certified permanent makeup artist and the lead artist at N&Beauty in Asoke, Bangkok. She has completed 5,000+ procedures since 2022, and personally answers client questions on WhatsApp and LINE.
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Keep reading
Browse Pui's other honest guides — choosing an artist, the techniques, safety, cover-ups, and getting PMU while travelling.
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If you'd like to talk anything through first — no pressure at all — I'm always happy to answer your questions on WhatsApp.