Taking breaks from wearing polish to let your nails "breathe" is a long-standing beauty belief, similar to the idea that makeup breaks allow your skin to get some air. Supposedly, going au naturel is beneficial. But... do nails need to breathe?

Experts say it's a complete myth. "Once you can see your nail plate and it comes out from beneath the cuticle, it's dead," says cosmetic biochemist and StimuNail founder Stacey Steinmetz. "Only when it's being grown underneath your cuticle, in an area called the nail matrix, is it alive." She compares it to shingles on a roof: The cells of your nail build upon each other as they grow, she explains, and they push forward older cells to form the visible nail plate....

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https://www.bustle.com/style/do-nails-need-to-breathe-experts