John Bailey, executive vice president of science at the Washington-based Cosmetic Toiletry and Fragrance Association and former director of the Food and Drug Administration's cosmetics and colors office, says if BrighTex's technology does work, it would be valuable for the cosmetic industry, which is always looking for ways to develop better products.

Still, Bailey noted that like other facial scanning products on the market for skin analysis, Clarity Pro would need to be validated to prove it can truly predict problems with the skin.

BrighTex says that today the market size is between $70 million and $100 million worldwide. That has the potential to grow to a billion-dollar-plus market over the next three years.

The Clarity Pro product comes at a time when Americans are much more aware of sun damage and are paying more attention to skin care. It also comes against a backdrop of rising cases of skin cancer in America.

According to the Skin Cancer Foundation, more than 1.5 million skin cancers are diagnosed each year in the United States. Nationally, there are more new cases of skin cancer each year than the combined incidence of breast, prostate, lung and colon cancers. The incidence of melanoma, which is the deadliest form of skin cancer, is increasing faster than any other cancer. By 2010, the foundation projects that one in 50 Americans will get melanoma.

Because of those projections, David Goldberg, vice president of the New York-based Skin Cancer Foundation and clinical professor of dermatology and director of Mohs Surgery and Laser Research in the Department of Dermatology at New York's Mount Sinai School of Medicine, says a product like Clarity Pro would be welcome.

"Any technique that is going to lead to early detection of skin cancer is going to save lives and save the need for more extensive radical surgery," says Goldberg, noting that consumers will likely want a product that can give a detailed skin analysis at home.

To read the story, click here: BrighTex Bio-Photonics Clarity Pro facial image scanner identifies bacteria-clogging pores

Reposted with thanks to DOW Jones Newswire and StarTelegram.com.

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