Acne App Treats Your Zits With Your iPhone


First Posted: 02- 7-10 11:42 AM   |   Updated: 04- 9-10 05:12 AM

What's Your Reaction:

Got problem skin? Stop popping those zits and put down the Proactiv: your iPhone is here to help.

A new app from dermatologist Dr. Greg Pearson called 'AcneApp' claims that it can cure acne and even improve wrinkles.

The $1.99 app promises to improve your skin while you gab: it will project either red or blue light onto your face, which will, supposedly, kill bacteria and promote collagen growth.

According to the app's description on iTunes, the dermatologist-developed treatment uses 420 nanometer blue light (which has antibacterial properties) and 550 nanometer red light (which is anti-inflammatory) to help your complexion.

So does it work?

Dr. Pearson told the New York Times in an interview,

This would have to go through a lot more clinical study before I could quantify its efficacy," Dr. Pearson said. But he said he was "fascinated by the concept that users would potentially be able to treat their acne while talking on the phone."

Another dermatologist suggested that based on his studies, it would take some 88 treatments for users to see results.

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Reviewers on iTunes are also divided on the app.

One quips it's 'just dumb,' but another claims, 'After three days of using this product my acne is almost completely gone!'


Use it or lose it? Tell us in the comments below.

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Got problem skin? Stop popping those zits and put down the Proactiv: your iPhone is here to help. A new app from dermatologist Dr. Greg Pearson called 'AcneApp' claims that it can cure acne and even ...
Got problem skin? Stop popping those zits and put down the Proactiv: your iPhone is here to help. A new app from dermatologist Dr. Greg Pearson called 'AcneApp' claims that it can cure acne and even ...
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EricaC   11:08 PM on 2/10/2010
Omg! I got the iFace Acne Cure at http://iFace.us/Acne this thing is amazing! I saw it on Fox News and of course I was rolling my eyes. I don't have an iPhone and I was a little jealous because my class-mates who have them bought it. But this WORKS ON ALL INTERNET CAPABLE PHONES!
So I can use it on mine. I can't afford an iPhone, but all my class-mates got it from the iFace Acne Cure site and it's the pro version that has a bunch of different frequency treatments. I only used it for about a week or less and my acne is drying off. I LOVE IT!
AngelinaK   12:01 PM on 2/09/2010
Umm, not so sure if it can clear acne.

I would recommend this iphone app instead to cure acne.

http://appwarrior.com/iphone-app/ultimate-acne-cure

I am really happy with it.
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HUFFPOST COMMUNITY MODERATOR
WasteNJ   01:52 PM on 2/08/2010
All hail Steve Jobs, the iPhone is all things to all people...
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Cryostatic   11:23 AM on 2/08/2010
If there was an iPhone app that claimed to give you the magical ability to fly, by starting it up and cramming the device up your nether-regions, people would buy it.
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Eris23   10:39 AM on 2/08/2010
LOL!
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dobberdoss   03:55 AM on 2/08/2010
Want to cure your acne? Apply a moisteriser every night before bed. Your skin then stops over producing it's natural oils which lead to the problem. Simple and works 100%
Once the acne has gone then stop applying moisteriser. If you continue you will try your skin out so much (ironic ha) that if you apply any your skin will feel like sunburn.

Try, and I promise your acne will go. Natural Aloe vera based moisteriser is best
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dobberdoss   03:56 AM on 2/08/2010
third line typo. 'dry' instead of 'try'
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
leanjhuls2   09:52 AM on 2/08/2010
this won't work if one has oily skin, such as myself.
tiemposdepaz   10:11 AM on 2/08/2010
No, dobberdoss is correct. If you use moisterizer daily after cleansing and toning, you will stop the over-production of oil. While it seems crazy to put a light facial moisterizer (like Neutrogena's or Oil of Olay) when your skin is oily already, the body will stop trying to overcompensate for the dryness (which is the reason faces get very oily). I have oily skin naturally, but when I regularly apply face lotion, my face looks and behaves like normal skin. Some people I know even use olive oil, which I do on winter days occasionally. Your face will absorb it quickly if freshly washed.

Drink 64 oz of water everyday, take vitamins everyday, exfoliate with a facial brush or scrub, and apply a sulfur clay mask weekly, and you will have perfect skin in a matter of weeks. For those with spots, use palmers face mask weekly.
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bliss0027   11:20 AM on 2/08/2010
this works for most people with low to moderate acne but for people with a serious acne problem...not so much

many people won't see results unless they treat it with medication. If you have acne because of a hormonal issue, genetics, etc. then a nightly moisturizing routine is not going to do anything.....not too mention the type of moisturizer one uses could potentially make it worse.

There are many causes of acne and therefore no one treatment or routine is going to work for everyone.
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moutonnoir   02:52 AM on 2/08/2010
every time i read about one of these innovative apps it reminds me how much i want to get an iphone so I can develop software for its.... users...
mayan2012   01:55 AM on 2/08/2010
how about camel ear wax? a lot safer than EMF danger from cell phones.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Good Reason News   01:22 AM on 2/08/2010
It's not enough that someone thinks America is stupid enough to buy this, they had to go and prove it.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
JohnSawyer   01:10 AM on 2/08/2010
And ANOTHER thing: when I clicked on the link to this article, from the HP home page, and after it went to this page, my computer's screen partially dimmed, and a video ad took over this page before I was able to view the article. Is this the new advertising strategy at HP? If that's the direction they're taking, I'll be coming to HP a lot less often, and I doubt if I'm the only one.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
JohnSawyer   01:05 AM on 2/08/2010
This is where paying attention in science class pays off. This is a fraud:

-- The frequencies of the light emitted by a smartphone's display, aren't the same as has been found to help skin conditions. It's not just a simple color that does the trick. Nor does a smartphone's display have the necessary intensity to do any good.

-- Pearson himself says: "This would have to go through a lot more clinical study before I could quantify its efficacy," Dr. Pearson said. But he said he was "fascinated by the concept that users would potentially be able to treat their acne while talking on the phone."

That kind of equivocation is a far cry from the absolute claims made in this app's listing on the App Store. I'd think, with all the apps that Apple has refused to OK, that they'd at least refuse to OK a fake medical app that's fraudulent and untested, and makes claims it can't back up.
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LightShadow62   01:00 AM on 2/08/2010
Got money to burn?

There's an app for that!
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HUFFPOST COMMUNITY MODERATOR
MichaelMcKLA   12:26 AM on 2/08/2010
OK Apple, what do ya got that will improve my hearing?
hottingers   10:19 PM on 2/07/2010
They are also coming out with one that will supposedly cure an STD . It's called the CL app.
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loki   10:06 PM on 2/07/2010
Hey This is America, the home of Ivy Greed Capitalism. You dont have to tell the truth in advertising or even produce a product that actually does anything. As long as you can make a profit, and you can pass some of that profit to the palms of eager politicians, Your A-OK in the American Political, Justice and Business world.

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