There's no app for acne - Allentown Morning Call (blog)

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There's a smartphone app for almost everything these days. Treating acne isn't one of them.

It should seem unbelievable that holding a phone to your face for a few minutes could heal your skin. Yet about 11,600 people downloaded AcneApp from the iTunes store for $1.99. And 3,300 people downloaded Acne Pwner from the Android Marketplace for 99 cents, according to the Federal Trade Commission.

Customers were told to hold the display screen of their smartphone or mobile device near their skin for a few minutes each day, and colored lights on the screen would treat their acne, the FTC said.

The agency investigated and said it found the health claims were unsubstantiated. It announced earlier this month it had reached settlements with the individuals and companies that marketed those mobile applications. The FTC said that under the settlement, which is pending approval from the commission, the marketers would "stop making baseless claims."

Smartphones can be handy, but be smart when using them.