Re: Would you die if you blocked all your skin's pores

Dear Beryl:

Since the other people who this question has been sent to have not answered it, I 
will.

According to Cecil Adams, of  the Straight 
Dope 

Dear Columbia:

As I recall, the consensus at the time the movie appeared was that you would die 
of asphyxiation somehow. There was a notion abroad
in those days that you breathed through your skin. Well, science--or at least the 
popular understanding of it--has made mighty strides
since those early years, and it is now known that you do not breathe through your 
skin. You breathe through your mouth and nose.
So much for the asphyxiation theory.

Nonetheless it's true that if someone gilded you, you would very likely die. 
However, death would result from what amounts to an
extreme case of heatstroke. Paint would clog the pores, thus preventing 
perspiration and ruining the body's principal means of heat
regulation. You'd develop a high fever, and after a few days of unbearable 
suffering you would expire. Lead or other toxic substances
in the paint might contribute to your demise.

I might mention that anyone contemplating a death of this type should take care 
to coat the subject as completely as possible, since
partial coverage will result only in an increased rate of perspiration across the 
unoccluded surfaces. Particular attention should be paid
to the palms, armpits, and the soles of the feet, which contain a great number of 
sweat glands. Call me Mr. Unimaginative, but I think
it'd be easier just to hit the guy over the head with a rock.

--CECIL ADAMS

I hope this helps!