Mandelic will help clear out your pores and exfoliate your skin, so that should help lessen your monthly breakouts. And it will also help even out the skin tone. As to irritation- I guess that depends on how sensitive your skin is and how strong of a mandelic product you use. If you try it, I would get a lower strength product (10%) and start off using it every other night and see how your skin responds.

You also might consider trying Finacea. It does a lot of the same things mandelic does, but is probably a little bit more effective at reducing inflammation, killing bacteria and reducing redness. It is a prescription medication in the U.S and some other places, but it is an OTC medication in Australia (and can be legally purchased from an online Australian pharmacy).

So what is the diff between the mandelic acid and the glycolic acid like in the AHA sold here. Do they both serve the same pupose in clearing up acne and red marks? Can the be used the same way as an applicator/mositurizer daily?

No - its not really comparable to Dan's glycolic for a couple of reasons. The two ingredients act somewhat differently on the skin - both exfoliate at the surface of the skin, so that is great for release acne impactions and getting rid of dead skin. Mandelic is better at pentrating the pores (kind of like salicylic acid does), so it is better at clearing and preventing clogged pores. Mandelic also has antibacterial activies, which glycolic does not.

Also, Dan's AHA has a moisturizing/hydrating base -AHAs generally do not come in a moisturizing base (and I don't know of any mandelics that do) - they are usually serums or toners. Acids like glycolic and mandelic are not moisturizing agents - they are exfoliants.