Metformin for acne

I'm about to start taking metformin to help control my insulin levels and i'm just wondering if anyone knows if i'm supposed to get regular bloodwork done for this?? My doctor didn't mention it but now I see where it can cause problems with the liver and kidney. Do you guys think this is a safe med to take??

To anyone who knows about probiotics...

There's so many to choose from. I know they say get one from the refrigerated section, which the one I just bought is.. But other than that, I have no idea what to look for in a good one. Does anyone know what's the best one, and is this one is any good?

Here's the one I have.. and what's on its label.

Udo's Choice Super 9 Hi-Potency Probiotic
30 billion cells per serving
Guaranteed 15 billion viable cells per gram at best before date

Contains traces of milk and soy

Ingredients:

Lactobacillus acidophilus 45%
Lactobacillus rhamnosus 25%
Streptococcus thermophillus 10%
Lactobacillus plantarum 7%
Bifidobacterium bifidum 6%
Lactobacillus bulgaricus 3%
Bifidobacterium longum 3%
Lactobacillus salivarius 1%

Other ingredients:

Microcrystalline cellulose, magnesium stearate and ascorbic acid, vegetarian capsule made of water and hypromellose (USP)

So does anyone have any ideas as to whether this one is decent? Thanks!

Fraxel not for scars... but acne?

So I've been going to a skin care specialist for the past several months getting the Isolaz treatments done. They were working great til the past 2 or 3 times, it's been getting worse. I have a lot of dead skin and stuff trapped under the area around my chin, and the woman I go to said she wants to try an unconventional method to get rid of them.... using the Fraxel laser.

She said Fraxel is not usually intended for acne, itself... more for scarring... but the technology behind it makes sense for it to work. It turns all the liquid gunk under the face solid, then the body recognizes it as a foreign substance and gets rid of it.

She said with the Fraxel, I might look like I have a sunburn for a couple days... then it goes back to normal, maybe with some peeling.

The reviews of Fraxel I read are scary though... There's talk of permanent damage... hyperpigmentation.. etc....

I don't know whether or not to go through with it. Any ideas/opinions??? Thanks

Any of you accutane users have pre existing depression?

I'm thinking about accutane, but worried about (among other things) the mental health issues that go along with it. I've had anxiety/depression issues for years. Never suicidal or anything... but I've heard of how accutane messes with your mind.

So my question is, has anyone started accutane when they already had mental health issues.... and how did it turn out? Thanks

Carly's Clear and Smooth?

I've been looking up a lot on this product lately..... Their web site is www.clearandsmoothskin.com

I don't know what to think. The reviews are mostly amazing... They have thousands and thousands on ebay that are great..... but I have to wonder if they made up the reviews themselves.. at least partially. They're a small company, so it's very possible.

They say they don't.. what would be the point with their money back guarantee... but the point could very well be that most people forget to return things.. I know I usually do. Proactiv also had a guarantee, and that was crap.

I don't know if I'm being overly skeptical or not.... I guess when something sounds too good to be true, my instinct says that it probably is. But maybe it's worth a shot.

Anyway, has anyone on here actually used it? I find it funny that if it works as great as it says, that I can't find very many treatment logs on this site. Or maybe that's just because once it clears people, they stop coming to this site....?

Grrrr. I dunno what to think