Only using your FSA to pay your deductibles? Amateur hour.
There’s a lot that those pre-tax dollars in your flexible spending account (or healthcare spending account) can pay for — especially if you overestimated how much you’d need and how have cash to burn before it expires.
And if you’re not in the market for any antacids or Band-Aids, now’s a great time to stock up on skincare, from sunscreen to SPF makeup to acne treatment — and you might be surprised by what’s covered.
If you’re lucky, your FSA may still be available until March 15 — but if you’re among those who need to spend it before the end of the year, time is running out.
Fortunately, there’s a lot that you can swipe that debit card for.
“You would be surprised at all the ways you can spend your FSA and HSA dollars,” Rachel Rouleau, chief compliance officer at Health E-Commerce, the parent brand to the FSA Store and HSA Store, previously told the New York Post.
Not sure what’s covered? Everything on FSAstore.com is, and many products on Amazon are marked as FSA or HSA eligible — and you can still get reimbursed for some that aren’t.
Read on for some of the best skincare buys you can snag, including makeup, high-tech devices, SPF, and spot treatments recommended by a dermatologist.
A wrinkle and blemish-fighting wand
The line between “cosmetic” and “medically necessary” can be a bit blurry, so while some of those fun laser and red light therapy devices are covered, others are not.
The Solawave 4-in-1 Skincare Wand, $169, gets the stamp of approval from your FSA — and from Dr. Hadley King, a board certified dermatologist in New York City who recommends it to readers of The Post.
It combines red light, galvanic current, warmth, and facial massage for a laundry list of benefits: The brand says it smooths fine lines and wrinkles, fades blemishes, lightens dark circles and dark spots, depuffs, and boosts the power of your serums.
It also comes in several colors including rose gold, matte black, pink/blue ombre and charcoal.
An SPF makeup primer
SPF is a “nonnegotiable” for skin protection and cancer prevention, according to Dr. King, and that’s true whether it’s in traditional sunscreen or makeup — so a lot of primers and tinted moisturizers are actually covered.
All that FSA cash burning a hole in your wallet also provides a nice opportunity to splurge on high-end products you might not normally treat yourself too.
One of Dr. King’s favorites is Charlotte Tilbury Invisible UV Flawless Primer, $55, because it also has humectants and emollients, “so it’s going to hydrate the skin and support the skin barrier.”
“I do think it’s a nice choice for people who generally don’t like to wear sunscreen, because it just builds it into your skincare routine, and because it’s a primer, it’s easy to put makeup on top. It spreads nicely, it has good texture. It’s not going to pill,” she told The Post.
A little lippy, a lot of sun protection
Yes, you can get a little lip color with your FSA. COOLA’s Mineral Liplux SPF 30, $18, is available in a few different shades, combining a pretty makeup finish with sun protection.
And MDSolarSciences Hydrating Sheer Lip Balm Trio, $64, has you covered with three hues and SPF 30 — and might also make a nice Christmas gift, paid for with pre-tax dollars.
Prefer a clear, glossy look? You can put that on your FSA card, too, with Black Girl Sunscreen Make It Pop Sungloss Sunscreen Lip Gloss, $11.99, which also has SPF 30.
Vitamin C — with some SPF thrown in
Your anti-aging skincare favorites like vitamin C serum, hyaluronic acid and retinol aren’t covered by your FSA — but SPF is, so make your sunscreen do double duty by picking ones with those other ingredients thrown in.
Garnier SkinActive Clearly Brighter SPF 30, $14.99 at Amazon, is one of Dr. King’s picks.
“This contains moisturizing ingredients, so it’s easy to use, but it also contains lipohydroxy acid to gently exfoliate and help reduce the appearance of sun damage. And it contains vitamin C and vitamin E for added antioxidant protection from free radicals,” she said.
A tinted compact
Healthcare, but make it pretty.
There are quite a few tinted moisturizers you can add to your shopping list, including Avène Mineral High Protection Tinted Compact SPF 50, $42.
Will it add a nice light makeup finish? Yes. But it also has broad-spectrum UVA/UVB protection, checking off the cancer-fighting box.
Sunscreen that won’t make you break out
Face Reality Daily SPF 30 Lotion, $33, is a “great choice for oily and acne prone skin.”
“It’s moisturizing, but sheer and non comedogenic, so great for oily skin. It provides broad spectrum protection, and it also does contain antioxidants for that additional protection from free radicals,” said Dr. King.
Regular sunscreen also has a long shelf life — three years, according to the FDA, so you can stock up now on several bottles to last you a while.
Fig.1 Mineral Sunscreen, SPF 50
For mineral sunscreen fans, Dr. King likes Fig.1 Mineral Sunscreen, SPF 50, $30.60, which she notes also doesn’t have a white cast — making it great for a variety of skin tones.
“It also has C algae derivatives in there, which offer DNA repair, so that’s an added bonus. And then it has humectants like hyaluronic acid and glycerin to hydrate the skin; emollients like squalene, triglycerides and meadowfoam seed oil to support the skin barrier,” she said.
Pimple patches
Acne fighting falls under the FSA umbrella, and Dr. King likes spot treatments like Face Reality’s Sulfur Spot Treatment, $33, for combatting inflammation and soothing redness.
She also recommends pimple patches — but only for superficial pimples that are coming to a head. When they’re sitting deeper in the skin, she warned, those dots of hydrocolloid won’t do much.
For patches, her picks are Neutrogena Stubborn Acne Blemish Patches, $9.99, and Peach Slices, $8.99.
Acne-fighting cleansing wipes
Practice pimple prevention by cleaning your face every night.
While most dermatologists recommend a face wash, using a cleansing wipe as a first step to remove makeup is a good first step.
Neutrogena Pink Grapefruit Cleansing Wipes, $21.98 for a two-pack, are also formulated with acne-fighting ingredients.
