Zit buster -- only $225

Report: Sales of heat-based acne fighter Zeno taking off - Aug. 12, 2005:
"An at-home acne treatment device that uses heat to zap zits has hit the market, and more than 10,000 devices have been sold to dermatologists, cosmetic surgeons and other doctors, the Houston Chronicle said Friday.

Since it won approval from the Food and Drug Administration for over-the-counter sales June 1, the manufacturer of the Zeno, Tyrell, Inc., expects to ship nearly 100,000 devices by the end of the year, the report said.

Zeno looks like a sleek, silver cell phone and sells for $225, with a $35 tip that needs replacing after 90 treatments, according to the newspaper.

'I don't want to overblow it,' Dr. Suzanne Bruce, a Houston dermatologist who conducted a clinical trial of Zeno, told the Chronicle. 'It is not the miracle cure for acne. But it is useful for people who get those large red ones that come up every now and then, or for women who get them with their monthly cycles.'

Zeno uses a patented technology called ClearPoint to deliver controlled, low-level doses of heat to a pimple, killing the bacteria that causes it, the report said.

Creator Robert Conrad, who battled mild acne for years and wanted to invent a product for people like him, told the newspaper that clinical trials of Zeno conducted last year showed that 90 percent of pimples disappeared or faded within 24 hours of use.

'I got sick of all the creams and lotions out there and waking up with a dirty pillow and even bigger pimples.'

The report cited American Academy of Dermatology statistics saying that patients spend more than $100 million a year on non-prescription treatments alone."

MY REACTION:

Too pricey for now, but a technology to watch. Imitators will quickly lower the price. Meanwhile, anyone wanna try a blowtorch?