A US doctor has developed an application to treat acne while mobile phone users chat on their iPhone or iPod Touch phones.

The Daily Mail reports that Dr Greg Pearson’s AcneApp kills bacteria using a 420 nanometer blue light and 550 nanometer red light.

The Houston-based dermatologist warned, however, that the App will have to undergo further testing before it can be guaranteed to work. However, Dr Pearson added that he was ‘fascinated’ by the possibility that one day acne sufferers might be able to treat their condition while using their mobile phones.

New York dermatologist Dr Macrene Alexiades-Armenakas told the New York Times that tests so far on both blue and red light had shown ‘a low efficacy range’ in acne treatment, meaning some benefit was derived from the therapy.

‘But it took dozens, and I mean dozens – 88 treatments – of the therapy, before we could see any results,’ she said.

Dr Alexiades-Armenakas also added that she had some concerns about the safety of using ultraviolet light while the mobile phone was operational.

The AcneApp costs around $1.99 (£1.19). The technology can also be used to treat wrinkles as an alternative to Botox injections, says Dr Pearson. The red and blue lights not only kill bacteria, but also help erase wrinkles by promoting collagen growth.

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