I am 26 years old. I have had acne since I was 16 years old. I have
really oily skin, and I have acne on my entire face, including my
neck. Throughout years of using a variety of topical formulas, my acne
does not subside. My husband also has bad acne, however he has very
dry and sensitive skin. Before we commit to expensive laser acne
treatments, I was wondering if someone perhaps has had amazing results
with any sort of product.

Have you tried using an alpha hydroxy cream at night? 

Also what kind of cleanser are you using? Some soaps strip away oils
that are needed for the skin, and then your body keeps producing oil
that is what causes pores to clog. A gentle cleanser like one with
green tea or oats and honey is nice. Make sure your toner does not
contain alcohol as that will dry out your skin. At night after
cleansing and toning, a gentle alpha hydroxy cream works well to
slough off dead skin cells.

Also for your neck, check your pillow if it allows for air to breath
if you have it scrunched up under your neck when you sleep. 
indigo-daisy-shack.com

My son had a similar problem with acne. Our dermatologist prescribed a
variety of medicine and nothing really made a difference. We haven't
had much luck with topical products as well, except recently we tried
this neaclear liquid oxygen acne wash with salicylic acid. It's pretty
new on the market so I wasn't so sure about it, but we decided to try
it anyway. His skin is a lot better. It's no longer oily and much of
the acne has disappeared. He likes the feeling after washing his face
with it and I think its the oxygen. I know it worked for my son, so
I'm definitely recommending it to you. Try it before paying for laser.

I hope you both are consulting a dermatologist.  If not, you should
because there are many treatments that are available by prescription
only.  There are also different types of acne that respond better to
different treatments.

The most effective topical treatment for me was Differin (prescription
topical gel).  I had previously tried various nonprescription face
washes, salicylic acid treatments, benzyol peroxide treatments, and a
selenium sulfide wash without much success.  Differin is very drying
and might not be appropriate for your husband.  It causes some dry
patches on my skin (esp. in winter), so I use it in conjunction with
Klaron, a prescription non-drying moisturizer.  I try to put Differin
on the oily parts and Klaron on the dry parts.  My sister just
slathers them both over her whole face.  It's pretty good stuff.  I've
used another moisturizer called Cetaphil that works okay too.

You may also want to consider oral medication.  I did a course of
accutane and found it extremely effective.  It reduced my acne from a
constant nuisance to something I can easily control with differin
(most of the time).  Be aware that accutane can cause severe birth
defects.  A doctor will insist that you use 2 forms of birth control
while taking it.  Frequent blood tests are necessary to make sure it's
not damaging your liver or kidneys.  But the treatment is only 4-6
months to semi-permanently cure your acne, and it might be covered by
your health insurance.  I thought it was worthwhile.  (Even if your
insurance seems to be covering the doctor appointments, make sure you
don't have a cap on prescription drug benefits, since the pills are
pretty expensive.)

People also take oral antibiotics for acne.  They didn't help me, but
they must help someone or they wouldn't be prescribed, right? 
Finally, hormones affect your acne.  Birth control pills tend to
improve it, and certain kinds will do this better than others, I'm
told.  The prescribing doctor can probably help pick the best for you.

Other things to do...  Make sure your pillow is clean and not
oily--change the pillowcase often.  Wash your face promptly after
exercising or sweating.  I quit wasting money on ineffective face
washes and just use harsh Dial antibacterial soap.  Make sure any
cosmetics you use are noncomedogenic (or better yet, don't use
cosmetics).  Don't pick at your acne.  Don't even touch your face
unnecessarily (e.g., don't sit with your chin cradled in your hand).

In case you're wondering, my acne started at 15ish and wasn't getting
any better when I was 22, so I did the accutane then.  I'm now 27, and
although my acne worsened when I stopped taking birth control, it's
still a lot better than it ever was pre-accutane.  My husband's is
still quite bad (he never saw a dermatologist about it), so I'm hoping
he'll do a course of accutane too at some point.

I an esthetician and worked both for a plastic surgeon and a
dermatologist. (Retired from that part of the field now) You can learn
a lot by going into dermatology websites. One in particular is
totaldermatology.com. It's a laser center in California and the doc
there, Nissan Pilest, is a specialist in acne. They have newsletters
you can sign up for and the dr has a q and a in the newsletter.
From what I've seen, one of the most effective treatments for acne
that won't go away is photodynamic therapy.

Accuntane is a pretty sure bet but it has to be highly monitored with
blood tests and is not a good choice for women who could become
pregnant.

The proactive system really does work for a lot of people. If you have
not tired it, then at least give it a shot. However, if you have deep
cysts, you really need a good dermatologist. Cysts will leave scars
that you will never be able to completely get rid of.

In the long run, although many of the products and therapies seem
expensive, it's worth it to not have to deal with the psychological
distress and embarrassment.

good luck (and give up milk and cottage cheese...the sugars and
hormones are acne activators)

Dear Kogutka, 

While all of these advices could be helpful, please bear in mind that
Google Answers is not a substitute for seeing a specialist. In your
case I would recommend seeing a dermatologist (skin specialist) and
consider accutane (indeed, amazing results with many patients.
However, there are side-effects as mentioned before); and seeing a
endocrinologist (gland/hormonal specialist), as some of these problems
are hormonal, and hormonal treatment could help.

If you are interested, here is a great resource center for acne.

http://acnehelp4u.com/

semen has been known to cure acne