This is a slightly unusual question, but I have noticed that a lot of Thai woman have very similar birthmarks on their upper left arm. Has anyone else noticed this? Why do so many have them? My GF tried to explain but she said she cannot explain in English. Cheers. Greg.

Topic moved here from the visa forum.

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Possibly innoculation marks from smallpox or the like?

Our family lived in Malaysia for several years when myself , my brother and sister were infants, we all have similar marks, as does my Thai wife.

chonabot is probably right that you are seeing what everyone used to have in the form of a smallpox reaction.  It used to be a requirement worldwide and by law is still required for a visa to Thailand (see MFA website if you disbelieve).  Seems the younger folks don't know about this.  Now I really know I am getting old.

Another possibility is that she has a tattoo and feel ashamed of it. My wife has a huge burning on the left arm, it was a tattoo she made when very young, and after (even worse) she burnt because was ashamed.

This is a slightly unusual question, but I have noticed that a lot of Thai woman have very similar birthmarks on their upper left arm. Has anyone else noticed this? Why do so many have them? My GF tried to explain but she said she cannot explain in English. Cheers. Greg.

Good observation. A lady close to me  has the same scar. I sent her to a well known skin hospital to get it fixed but they were only partly successful. The next step will be a skin graft.

I would also be most interested in learning why so many young people have this scar.

Some scars are tropical sores that if not properly treated cause a bad scar upon healing. I got a tropical sore in the Philippines and it left a scar the size of a golf ball on my lower leg!

I think a couple of people may have misread my post. I'm not talking about a random scar on any part of the body or a removed tatoo laser scar, I'm talking about a specific mark that many Thai woman have on the very top of their left arm. It seems weird. I think the people guessing its some sort of vaccine are most likely correct.

Hi all

I'd say it was from a vaccine shot as my ex boyfriend has a similar mark on his left arm which he said was from a vaccine shot.

Nat  

Greg, it is a scar from a vaccine shot, I have one on my left upper arm (I'm a Thai woman).  I was given the vaccination in Thailand when I was 5 or 6 years old, and as I grew so did the scar.  Because I was from a small village, bann nork, it was very important to have it done as early as possible to protect against viruses.  I think in the UK its the TB jab that children recieved at secondary school, I may be wrong on this.

Hi greg,

sorry but i'm not thai and i'm not a woman ;-). I'm a german farang man. I also have such a mark, it's from a vaccine. In eastern germany it was a vaccine against tuberculosis and you got it when you was 14 years. In the first two years of your live you also got a vaccine against pox which also left a mark. My wife (thai) also got this vaccine mark on her arm.

Greetings from good old Germany

exchange1973

It is the purple ones that give you a fright!!

This "mark" discovery along with the fact that she didn't ever eat (I think she was smoking shabu, from her hyperness) scared the crap out of me!

This cute svelte gal from Chonburi had what appeard to be a purple blotch on her butt...., but upon closer inspection it was a little freaky patch of fur...A short-hairy-BIRTHMARK!!

NO POMPEM!