Do you have a health savings account? If so, you’re probably thinking of ways you can use up your accumulated dollars before the end of the year. While buying new contact lenses, purchasing a WaterPik, or stocking up on vitamins are perfectly fine ways to spend the money you’ve accumulated in your HSA account, they’re kind of boring. But, what else can you use your HSA money for? Did you know you can use your health savings dollars for cosmetic procedures — such as liposuction and fat transfers from Innovations Medical?
What is a Health Savings Account (HSA)?
A health savings account, also known as an HSA, is a medical savings account for individuals with high-deductible health plans. Money deposited into health savings accounts is not subject to federal income tax and can be used to pay for health insurance deductible expenses and to cover qualified medical costs. Users may also elect to spend their HSA funds on procedures not covered by health insurance, such as dental and vision care or cosmetic treatments.
Procedures to Consider
While you’re thinking about cashing out your HSA dollars before the end of the year, think about the procedures you want to spend it on. Each procedure has its own benefits and recovery time. You should also note that you can only use your HSA on cosmetic procedures that are necessary to improve a deformity from a congenital abnormality, a personal injury resulting from an accident or trauma, or a disfiguring disease.
Liposuction
Liposuction is an excellent option if you want to remove stubborn, unwanted fat that hasn’t seemed to budge despite your hard work at the gym and eating a healthy diet. Now is your chance to get rid of stubborn fat forever. Liposuction is dynamic; it works on a multitude of body areas, including the flanks, thighs, abdomen, back, and upper arms. Dr. Johnson uses SmartLipo to eliminate unwanted fat. Another benefit of SmartLipo is that it causes the body to increase its production of collagen, which improves skin tone and tightens the treated area.
Recovery from liposuction can take up to several months for all swelling to subside in some patients, but most people are able to return to work within a few days. Other forms of liposuction include:
- Tickle/Vipro Liposuction
- Traditional Liposuction
- Sedation Liposuction
Fat Transfer
Another great procedure to get in before the end of the year is a fat transfer. Fat transfers take unwanted fat collected through liposuction and put it in another body area that you want to fill out. For example, you can take unwanted fat from your midsection and use it to restore volume to your face if you have areas that have sunken over time. The most common fat transfer procedures include natural breast augmentation and Brazilian Butt-Lift.
Natural Breast Augmentation
Natural breast augmentation uses fat from your body to increase the size and volume and improve the shape of the breasts. Because there are no foreign objects used in the procedure, recovery time is lessened and many people can return to work the next day. While swelling may take up to a month to subside, most people can return to mild exercise activities within a week.
Brazillian Butt-Lift
One of the most popular fat transfer procedures is the Brazilian Butt-Lift — a body sculpting procedure designed to enhance the size and shape of the buttocks. A Brazillian Butt-Lift is a great way to increase the size and shape of your booty without the need for buttock implants. As with other procedures, swelling from the surgery can take up to four weeks to subside, but many people were able to return to work by the next day.
Fat Autograft Muscle Injection
Another fat transfer option is the FAMI procedure — which is fat transfer to the face. Unlike traditional face fat transfer methods, FAMI brings a new way of thinking to the fat transfer procedure. It begins to take into account the patient’s facial vascular paths, and as a result, the patient can see more consistency in the final outcome. The new FAMI technique uses the facial vascular network and places the fat into/under the facial muscles to provide long-lasting, symmetric results.
Recovery time for the FAMI procedure can take a week to 10 days — with most people returning to normal everyday activities after a couple of days. Because the procedure is done with local anesthesia, patients can walk out of the procedure and only experience some bruising and swelling.
If You’re Thinking About a Cosmetic Procedure, Contact Innovations Medical
If you’re looking to learn how you can use your health savings account dollars to pay for cosmetic procedures, Innovations Medical is here for you. Our skilled professionals help you decide which treatment is best for you – keeping you informed and confident in the next steps. We’ve been helping our patients look and feel their best since 2005, and even our most advanced procedures are often minimally invasive.
To find out if a cosmetic procedure is right for you, and to learn how Innovations Medical can improve your life, call us at (214) 643-8665 or schedule an appointment.