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The Capistrano Dispatch, Vol. 20, Issue 10. The Dispatch (thecapistranodispatch) is published twice monthly by Picket Fence Media, publishers of the DP Times (danapointtimes.com) and the SC Times (sanclementetimes. com). Copyright: No articles, illustrations, photographs, or other editorial matter or advertisements herein may be reproduced without written permission of the publisher. The publisher assumes no responsibility for return of unsolicited manuscripts, art, photos or negatives. Copyright 2022. All rights reserved. Printed in the USA.

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GUEST OPINION | by Dr. Michelle Hure

Take Precautions Against Skin Cancer

Skin Cancer Awareness Month is wrapping up, but that doesn’t mean we should just forget about the realities of skin cancer for the rest of the year.

It’s no surprise that the largest organ of the body accounts for the highest number of cancer cases worldwide. At least two people die of skin cancer in the U.S. every hour, and one in five Americans will develop skin cancer by the age of 70.

Now that these eye-opening statistics have gotten your attention, let’s bust some myths about skin cancer, who gets it and how to protect yourself.

In my practice, I’ve heard all the myths—everything from base tans are protective and sunscreen causes cancer, to 15 minutes of sun is needed every day to get your Vitamin D and that skin cancer is nothing to worry about.

It’s always an uphill battle trying to dispel these dangerous myths with real science when most people trust Dr. Google and the random TikToker/YouTuber more than actual board-certified physicians who have devoted their lives to the field. But my parents didn’t raise a quitter. Skin cancer

GUEST OPINION affects everyone—

BY DR. MICHELLE HURE everyone. No matter your age, sex or skin type, you are at risk. I’ve diagnosed skin cancer in everyone from newborns to centenarians, so no one is immune. The most common skin cancers are basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC).

These cancers are almost entirely caused by UV radiation. With our beautiful climate, ocean and year-round sun, people in California are particularly susceptible. Treatment is usually surgical removal, which can be disfiguring if the skin cancer isn’t caught early.

While many times these types of cancer are removed and don’t affect survival, it is not entirely uncommon for patients to die from metastatic disease when the head and neck are affected.

A skin cancer that can definitely affect your survival is melanoma—but it doesn’t have to. If melanoma is caught early, the five-year survival rate is 99%. While melanoma is likely to be caused by UV radiation, it’s not always that way.

The cells that turn into a melanoma

GUEST OPINION | Climate Education by Julianne E. Steers

Plant the Sea?

Submerge beneath the sea, look up, and you may think you are enveloped by trees. Kelp, the sea’s equivalent to trees.

More than a mere seaweed, giant kelp (Macrocystis pyrifera) is the foundation for an entire ocean ecosystem, towering up from the seafloor to tangled canopies on the surface, offering nutrients and shelter to fish, lobsters, and marine mammals.

Kelp forests are highly productive foundation species along much of the Orange County coastline. As a result, kelp is crucial to the ecological, social, and economic well-being of coastal communities.

This brown alga has an alter ego. Face value displays a beautiful habitat for those undersea denizens of the deep, while this kelp is working overtime absorbing carbon dioxide and nitrogen compounds, CLIMATE EDUCATION helping clean the

BY JULIANNE E. STEERS atmosphere. Those terrestrial trees are great, but kelp captures up to 20 times more carbon per acre than land forests.

Removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere will play a necessary role in preventing rising temperatures and future climate catastrophe. We need more kelp to multiply these positive effects.

Our coastline is no stranger to artificial reefs. Just look to the east and west off San Clemente Pier and you will see the canopy generated by the foundation of Wheeler North Reef. We have made great strides over the years toward encouraging kelp growth through the establishment of artificial (melanocytes) are also found in normal skin and moles, the eye, brain, inner ear, GI tract and genitals. That means that even without the genital tanning that is all the rage now (no joke), melanoma can arise in those locations.

Obviously, we can’t take a good look at all those places easily, but getting regular skin, eye and genital exams is a must. Tanning was thought to be protective in the past to give a “base tan,” as melanin pigment, made by melanocytes, is protective to the upper layer of skin.

So, how to protect yourself from skin cancer? Simple. Be sun-smart.

That means use sunscreen with an SPF greater than 30 (no, it’s not all the same, and the higher, the better) every day, reapply your sunscreen at least every two hours (if not sooner), wear sun-protective clothing with a tight weave or designated as UPF 50, wear big sunglasses and a wide-brimmed hat, and seek the shade—especially during peak sun hours of 11 a.m.-3 p.m.

Dr. Hure is a double board-certified physician practicing medical, surgical, cosmetic dermatology and dermatopathology at Orange County SkinLab, her award-winning solo private practice clinic near the Los Rios District. She is a native Californian and proud to call San Juan Capistrano home, along with her two young daughters and husband. CD

PLEASE NOTE: In an effort to provide our readers with a wide variety of opinions from our community, The Capistrano Dispatch provides Guest Opinion opportunities in which selected columnists’ opinions are shared. The opinions expressed in these columns are entirely those of the columnist alone and do not reflect those of The Capistrano Dispatch or Picket Fence Media. If you would like to respond to this column, please email us at editorial@thecapistranodispatch .com.

reefs and, in some cases, a sprinkling of kelp spores helps those barren reefs.

Yet, because of a combination of stressors, kelp forests are under threat and have declined close to home.

Recently, the robust El Niño event produced a “Blob” of warm ocean water that disrupted the West Coast marine ecosystem and declined growth of our undersea forests.

Active restoration of kelp ecosystems is an emerging field that aims to reverse these declines by mitigating negative stressors. Just as we plant more trees, our underwater forests may be “seeded” as well.

Planting and protecting our coastal ecosystem will strengthen our future.

Julianne Steers is a marine biologist and conservation photographer. She has an extensive background in ecology, and has been researching, diving, and exploring the local ecosystem and beyond to sustain the natural world. CD

PLEASE NOTE: In an effort to provide our readers with a wide variety of opinions from our community, The Capistrano Dispatch provides Guest Opinion opportunities in which selected columnists’ opinions are shared. The opinions expressed in these columns are entirely those of the columnist alone and do not reflect those of The Capistrano Dispatch or Picket Fence Media. If you would like to respond to this column, please email us at editorial@thecapistranodispatch .com.