I had pretty skin, without any acne, throughout my teen years.  When I was about 20, though, I began to get painful "knots" deep beneath the skin on my face, especially around the chin and jawline. 

My first trip to a dermatoligist confirmed that I had cystic acne.  "Well get rid of it,"  I told him.  I remember saying that so casually, like it was no big deal.  He said he'd have to "open up" the bumps...that I had to stay on antibiotics, forever, changing the medication every 6 months because the acne would become immune to treatment...that I had to use harsh acne meds (Retin A) on my sensitive skin. 

So, thinking that the doctor knows best, I tried the full course of recommended treatments.  My face was raw and red...I had a constant yeast infection from the antibiotics...and I still had cystic acne. 

My self-esteem plummeted.  There were days when my skin looked so awful and was so painful that I skipped class and called in "sick" at work. 

I stopped all treatments.  My skin eventually healed, but the acne was still there, of course.

So, I decided that if this could be fixed, that if it could be healed, I would have to figure out what was causing it in the first place.  For several months I kept a notebook ready to record everything I ate, and at what time. 

This was much more than a diet journal.  I also entered the exact time of day that I began to feel the formation of an acne cyst developing deep below the surface of my skin.

It didn't take long to discover that these painful cysts developed within a few hours everytime I consumed peanut butter! 

I had never really eaten a lot of peanut butter, or peanuts either, as a younger person, but when I moved out on my own and was working my way through school, peanut butter was a cheap source of protein and a cheap meal.  I ate a lot of peanut butter sandwiches at that time.

So, I stopped eating peanut butter.  The cystic acne just went away.

That was years and years ago.  Today, when I get cocky about the whole peanut thing, when I have somehow forgotten what I went through, I'll eat a peanut butter cup or something else with peanut butter in it or on it.  And I'll get a cyst within a few hours.  So, I stay away from peanut butter 99% of the time.  99% of the time, I'm acne free.

I'm not a doctor, I'm not trying to diagnose or cure anything. (I've read that disclaimer on other articles so I thought I should throw it in here.)  I'm just a woman who found out what seemed to cause her own cystic acne. 

I hope this helps anyone suffering from this painful skin condition.