I'll see if I can get all of them:
1. Do I use a patch? Nope. Especially not a thick leather one.
2. I've never experienced any irritation on the lower lip, but I think that's mainly because I play with a slightly incorrect embouchure; where I think I fold my lower lip too much over my teeth. The pressure is not on the lower lip but more on the skin below the lip. This may be a "loose" embouchure, but I find it's quite firm. Playing with the reed sitting directly on my lower lip is excruciating. I use a #3 Vandoren (blue box) and my lower lip is not strong enough to support it.
3. Again, I don't use a double embouchure.
4. I've never experienced any trouble with facial hair, though I am only 18 and cannot even grow a five'o'clock shadow, only a faint moustache and some chin hair.
5. I don't have braces no, but I did have them on my lower teeth until two month ago, and have only played once since then. Funny story why actually. Here I was in my room honking out a few notes after three weeks of being on vacation when suddenly my thumbrest falls off. As I said before, it was a cheap instrument and obviously not well made and I really didn't have enough time to react so the instrument fell out of my hands and landed on the floor, making one stop on the edge of my table on the way. Luckily it did not sustain any significant damage but it was unplayable nonetheless. I took it to a repairman and he fixed it and I haven't had the interest to play since. It's really fun to play, but I haven't been making too much progress and have been feeling a bit discouraged. That, coupled with the fact that my lips feel funny after playing, is mainly why I haven't played in a while.
Hope that gives you something to work on, though I think you may have already answered my question.
I do have one question regarding that though. Is washing the mouthpiece under a faucet safe? I figured that the cork would get warped if I did that.