If we had to rank our worst beauty issue, there’s no question that acne would be number one. It’s bad enough having a festering pimple on your face, then add to that using the wrong blemish-busting treatment and now it’s no longer a mere annoyance — that simmering spot has turned into a path of red irritation. But not for long: Download MDacne, take a selfie, and that pimple problem will be solved as fast as you can swipe right.
The ground-breaking app applies the same idea as going to a dermatologist, something most of us aren’t doing because of the time, wait, and cost. “We found that 90 percent of people struggling with acne never see a dermatologist at all and instead resort to trial and error with store-bought products that are often irritating or simply ineffective,” says Dr. Yoram Harth, Chief Medical Officer and co-founder of MDacne. “To that end, we realized that we could use the best tools in science, medicine, and technology to help people clear their skin in an easier, faster, and more personalized way than ever before. We developed the app, fully customized product kits, and a suite of online tools to treat the acne to your specific needs, ultimately giving you a partner every step of the way at an affordable price.”
The result is AI (AKA artifical intelligence) that’s easy, and — dare we say — fun to use. Simply download the free app, answer a few questions about your skin, snap a selfie, and watch the app work its analytical magic. Less than 30 seconds later, you get a comprehensive analysis and write-up about your acne and skin sitch, as well as a personalized product kit recommendation, including a medicated, anti-acne treatment cream (with ingredients like benzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid), cleanser, and moisturizer. If you decide to purchase the skincare subscription for $30 a month, you have access to a selfie progress tracker, reminders, and unlimited online chats with a board-certified dermatologist too. “We’ve found that by matching users with the right ingredients for their specific skin type and all the tools available on the app, they are more committed to their treatment and get better results in less time,” he says. And, if your skin doesn’t improve at all within 60 days, you can return the products for a full refund.
So can you really rely on the app to make the right diagnosis? According to Harth, the AI deep-learning technology has a proprietary algorithm that gets smarter with every use and analyzes the color, size, shape, and the number of pimples you have. It’s been trained on over 300,000 images and is actually able to recognize patterns in the picture better than the human eye. And if that’s not enough, when you continue to track your progress with the selfie tracker, the AI makes adjustments to your product kit and other suggestions. If you’re still seeing spots, it tells you a new regimen, which can be discussed with a derm in an online chat. Having a skin doc on call 24/7? Sounds too good to be true, when in reality it’s just a click away.
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(Photos via MDacne)