When I first read about the AcneApp iPhone app ($1.99), which was pioneered by Houston dermatologist Dr. Greg Pearson, I had to wonder if it was real.

This iPhone app aims to fight acne by eliminating acne bacteria and reducing skin blemishes through blue- and- red-light treatments. The iPhone app’s home screen offers instructions to choose a light—blue fights bacteria, red helps heal skin, or both at once—and then rest your iPhone against your skin’s acne-prone areas for two minutes every day.

Is getting rid of bad skin through an iPhone possible? It’s hard to say. Blue and red light therapy for acne treatment is not a new thing in and of itself. Clinical studies have shown that light therapy is effective in addressing acne, though more so over the course of time and with the use of intense light. Dr. Alexiades-Armenakas said in a recent New York Times article that it took about 88 treatments of the therapy before doctors saw any results. 

So maybe this works and maybe it doesn’t. Even if light therapy is successful in battling acne, is light therapy through an iPhone effective? If blue and red light treatment is all its cracked up to be, wouldn’t you be better off sitting directly under extreme blue or red light for a longer period of time? Either way, since its full potential is not yet know, I would wait before losing your dermatologist’s number.