Can iPhone Application Treat Your Acne?

HOUSTON - What if teenagers could treat their acne while talking on the phone?

That’s the question a Memorial City dermatologist asked.

And Dr. Greg Pearson’s answer can now be found in Apple’s App Store for the iPhone at a cost of $1.99.

The AcneApp emits alternating bursts of red and blue light from the iPhone’s screen.

All users have to do is run the program then hold the phone up to their faces.

“This app is to be applied directly to the skin of acne-prone areas,” says Pearson, “for about two minutes a day.”

The blue wavelengths are supposed to kill bacteria, while the red wavelengths are thought to reduce swelling.

But because the app hasn’t been FDA-approved, Pearson can’t claim any medical benefits.

“I really can't because those studies have to be done. But the idea, I didn't just come up with it. It's really based on some science.”

In fact, dermatologists have been using visible light treatments to clear up acne for several years now.

And AcneApp claims light treatments have been shown to be almost twice as effective as the most popular over-the-counter remedy.

Besides, says Greg Pearson, it can be difficult to convince young patients to stick to their topical regimens.

“As teenagers go, their compliance-- that is, how often they use their medicines-- is really pretty poor.”

And so Pearson envisions a day when teens can call their friends, and kill their acne, simultaneously.

“It would just be when they talked on the phone and they could sort of rotate sides. And they would treat their acne almost as a part of their daily life without having to do anything extra.”