Dairy is a bit iffy for me. Casein, a water-soluble dairy protein, is found in butter (although it is found to a greater extent in milk). This protein is structurally similar to gluten which leads to all manner of nasty inflammatory symptoms -- such as acne.

When I consume a lot of dairy, I break out a bit.

When I consume a lot of gluten, I break out a lot.

Some people are unusually sensitive to one or the other, but most -- especially Europeans -- are more sensitive to gluten. My n=1 experience is that if I want to avoid acne altogether, I have to limit dairy AND nightshades. You may want to take those into account, too. The lectins present in them can cause inflammation, among other effects.

Conventional vs. grassfed makes no difference with respect to casein, either. Both contain casein, as it is a totally normal protein found in dairy.

Ghee gets rid of most of the nonfat components of butter, so most of the casein is gone. This is the best option for anyone who wants to cook with "butter" but finds that they're sensitive to dairy.

Since I cut dairy and whey protein out of my life, my acne totally cleared up.

Well, you did a good thing by going "all out" to see if you react negatively. I think you already know the answer--the question is whether or not it is the pasteurization (took a quick look at their website and couldn't find whether or not it is pasteurized). that has confabulated the few proteins remaining, causing the reaction, or if it is cow's milk in general that your body is attempting to detoxify. Or, is it all non-human milk (human breastmilk technically has casein, but a different type... Bridget--whey is great for muscle growth. however, the extra growth hormone and casein does not benefit long term health--unfortunately I haven't found a great source of "drinkable" protein as of yet. I use Metagenic's Whey protein because their product tests for less than 1 part of casein per 20,000 parts. Most other products don't give a guarantee...and we know that the major problem with diary is the type of casein

Ever since I cut out the whey after workouts, I have just been eating actual food after workouts. I go home and eat some meat. If I am on the go, I bring along some homemade jerky.

I sometimes experience this whenever I eat cheese.

I have noticed the same thing. However I really love my whey protein. What can replace the whey?

Only conventional dairy will give me acne. Grassfed is fine though.

I've just had the same problem. AFter a month of dairy free, I reintroduced butter and cream, and my face seriously exploded. I really like cream, so it sucks. I will try to cut on butter only and see if it helps...

In my experience, any dairy causes acne. The threshold is about 2 grams.

Butter doesn't affect my lactose intolerance, unless in large quantities.

However, since removing butter for the past couple weeks, I have noticed that my face has cleared even more. So I'm figuring it (even in small quantities) was affecting breakouts.

I'll strictly be using ghee from here on out!