SAN DIEGO (KGTV) – The beach was packed with people enjoying the sun, surf, and sand at La Jolla Shores on Wednesday afternoon.
Whether you lather it on or spray it on, sunscreen’s a must at the beach.
“Critically important, especially if we're out closer to the middle of the day,” Laura Pile said.
“Absolutely, it stays in the beach bag,” Renee Coley said.
Experts like Dr. Reid Oldenburg say the beach bag mainstay is essential and should be at least 30 SPF and FDA approved.
“It's really critical to find something that you actually use,” Oldenburg said.
Oldenburg is the President of the San Diego Dermatological Society.
“You don't necessarily have to break the bank. You don't have to find something that is cheap or expensive. The most important thing is don't let perfect be the enemy of good,” Oldenburg said.
He said sunscreen needs to be applied every couple of hours and during the peak hours when the UV index is above three.
Some sunscreens can cost nearly $100, while others can be as cheap as $5. So ABC 10News asked Dr. Reid Oldenburg how people find the balance between finding the sunblock they’re actually going to use consistently and price points so they don’t break the bank.
“If people spend $100 on sunscreen, what ends up happening is it is a special item that's really expensive. So, people are naturally going to ration that, and they might put it in their medicine cabinet and rarely use it,” Oldenburg said. “I think that the critical thing is just finding that sunscreen that works for you and is at the right price point. So honestly, I think a lot of sunscreens $15, $20, they can work really well as long as they're used appropriately.”
But Oldenburg does say it still comes back to what you like and will use, including at the right price you want to spend.
Some people tell me they don’t skimp on when it comes to the cost of the base layer to battle the sun's harmful rays.
“Quality over price every day for sunscreen for us,” Pile said.
“As long as my skin's protected, I don't care what it costs and the smell and not burning the eyes for the grandkids, absolutely,” Coley said.
