Does Your Skin Need To Breathe?

After a facial, it's a pretty common misconception if one should wait to apply makeup or they need to give their skin time off on the weekends to "breathe." Sure, when people talk about skin "breathing," they are often referring to if the skin is occluded or not. Either way, let's get the facts straight.

Fun fact: people believed this crazy myth so much that not all that long ago in the 1964 James Bond movie Goldfinger, an actress was to be killed off by being painted from head to toe in gold paint. Not only was that the fictional storyline, they believed this in real life too! So much so the makeup artist left a small unpainted patch of skin to avoid asphyxiation. They even had doctors stand by for this scene if she was gasping for air. That sh*t is bananas!

It all comes down to is that the skin does not have any respiratory function as the top layer of skin is dead. The layers of the skin are nourished with oxygen and nutrients by the blood vessels found in the dermis.

The thought that heavy makeup or skincare products "suffocate" the skin is often caused by too heavy products/ingredients for one's skin type. It's essentially forming a layer on the skin, preventing oil, bacteria, and sweat from reaching the surface of the skin. If you find that you get clogged pores or are prone to milia after using certain products or makeup, that particular formula may simply not be for your skin.

Now, of course, there are benefits of skipping makeup and washing your face at the end of the day. Going sans makeup allows your pores to do their natural thing by releasing oil, sweat, bacteria, etc., and go without some of the potentially irritating ingredients that can be in makeup or skincare. Washing your face at the end of the day also removes oxidized oils that can cause breakouts and contribute to aging.