We’ve ALL done it. Possibly several times a week.

You fall asleep on the couch after a long day and it just seems like too much hassle. Or you come in from a night out and it’s the last thing on your mind. Taking off your makeup before bed is just another tedious exercise in the art of being a woman, so much so that there are times when you just really can’t be bothered. We’ve known it’s a bad idea for quite some time, but what actually happens to our skin when we fall asleep with a full face of slap? Well, according to Attn: the effects are quite negative. Firstly, collagen production is halted. Collagen is important to the skin as its what makes it look youthful and healthy. It is usually produced during sleep and can be halted by the presence of makeup as makeup introduces excess ‘free radicals’ to the skin. Free radicals are chemical particles that latch on to the skin from other sources. Medical aesthetician, Lauren Bound said: “When free radicals sit on our skin at night, this can cause problems with cellular turnover since they break down collagen production in our skin.” “It’s important we give our skin a good wash to get rid of them and then a chance to breathe for the night.” Other side-effects of sleeping with your makeup include eye irritations and infections caused from crusting mascara. The perfumes and dyes often found in makeup products can also cause irritation and inflammation of the skin, resulting in dreaded spots. If you’re going to continue to sleep in the slap, Bound says it’s important to at least make sure your products are hypoallergenic. “Making sure your makeup is hypoallergenic and noncomedogenic is very important,” She said. “If you know you aren’t the best at washing your face at night, at least make sure what you had on during the day isn’t going to be doing any further harm. Mineral makeup is generally free of toxic, pore clogging ingredients.” Ultimately, the effects of sleeping in makeup will result in premature ageing. “If we avoid washing our face at night, stress and pollution-induced oxidative damage will break down the integrity of the skin, resulting in premature damage,: Bound said. “It is nearly impossible to see where our cells are in the turnover process, so it is better to play it safe and care for your skin regularly.”