So dermatologists explain how sun damages our skin and causes cancer. That there is no “good” or “healthy” tanning, it’s our skin cells adapting to the damage by producing more melanin. But doesn’t a similar thing happen with muscle? By working out, we create tiny tears and the repairing process makes the muscle stronger.
So what is the main difference between the two processes? Why is slightly damaging muscles a healthy thing, but slightly damaging skin a bad thing?
Comments
UV damage exacerbates DNA mutations on the skin cells. Working out doesn’t.
High energy radiation (like UV) which causes sunburn actually damages your DNA, which can cause cancerous mutations.
Your muscle fibers tearing on a small scale doesn’t damage your DNA.
UV damage to DNA from tanning is like tearing up the instruction book and not being able to figure the order of the pages. When you try to follow the instructions in the wrong order things start to go very wrong and cant be corrected.
Muscle damage from a workout is like a small crack forming in a plank of wood, so you add extra bracing, and it becomes stronger than before.