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News Flash: These Apps Won't Cure Your Acne

FTC slaps two programs claiming to work dermatological wonders

By Matt Cantor, Newser Staff

Posted Sep 9, 2011 9:48 AM CDT

(Newser) – No matter what the ads say, you just can’t cure acne with an iPhone. The FTC has moved to shush a pair of apps claiming to do just that. Going for 99 cents on Android Marketplace, AcnePwner said users could “Kill ACNE with this simple, yet powerful tool.” AcneApp, meanwhile, cost $1.99 on iTunes and said it could rid you of acne using a dermatologist-created combination of red and blue lights, Politico reports.

The apps were downloaded some 15,000 times, but following the FTC complaint, their marketers will “stop making baseless claims.” Said the FTC chair: “Smartphones make our lives easier in countless ways, but unfortunately when it comes to curing acne, there’s no app for that.” (But there is an app that helps prevent car crashes...)

(Shutterstock)

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News Flash: These Apps Won't Cure Your Acne

FTC slaps two programs claiming to work dermatological wonders

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