Acne is a common disease of the pilosebaceous unit affecting both teenagers and young adults that causes both physical and emotional damage. The risk of delaying treatment is that of scarring which can be devastating for patients of all ages. The pathogenesis is complex and appears to involve 4 primary features: increased stimulation of sebum gland activity, increased bacterial proliferation (especially Propionibacterium acnes), abnormal follicular hyperkeratinization and resultant obstruction of the sebaceous follicles, and the release of inflammatory mediators. These changes in acne patients result in the formation of clinical inflammatory lesions including superficial pustules such as comedones (popularly known as "blackheads" or "whiteheads") and more deeply located pustules, papules, nodules and cysts.

Due to the complexity of pathogenic mechanisms causing acne, treatment typically includes combination therapy including topical applications, oral medications, and numerous alternative therapies including lasers, light, steroid injections, chemical peels, and extractions. Many of these treatments while effective if used for a sustained period of time, have side effects, complications, and resistance. So it is important to consider alternative therapeutic options. The application of lasers and light-based systems in the field of dermatology has dramatically advanced based on Anderson and Parish's theory of selective photothermolysis in which very short pulses of laser energy with high peak powers at a given wavelength are selectively absorbed by target chromophores such as melanin and hemoglobin, but delivering minimum damage to the normal tissue surrounding the target. The application of these lasers in the extended theory of photothermolysis has currently expanded to include the treatment of acne.

Recently, a novel device called TheraClear®X, that combines vacuum pressure with a broadband light source (500 nm to 1,200 nm) was developed for the treatment of acne. Unlike currently available devices, TheraClear®X uses gentle pneumatic energy to draw the target tissue into the treatment tip, with negative pressure lifting the sebaceous gland and thus bringing it closer to the surface of the skin. The vacuum then elevates and everts the sebaceous gland, allowing it to open up and empty its contents, ejecting the acne causing bacteria, sebum, dead skin cells, and other impurities onto the surface of the skin. Such photopneumatic devices are the only pulsed broadband light therapy approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of comedonal and pustular acne, as well as inflammatory acne. Inflammation caused by acne also has a major vascular component, which appears as redness. Pulsed light is an ideal energy source to remove this redness. Being able to offer comfortable, low risk treatment options for patients suffering with acne is critical as more patients are looking for these options. This clinical trial is therefore a critical addition to the armamentarium of acne treatments. The proposed clinical study will substantiate the efficacy and safety of TheraClear®X as a stand-alone treatment for the mitigation of mild to moderate acne in healthy teenagers and young adults.