A Guide to: Medical Fridges for Cosmetic Surgeries

The cosmetic surgery sector is booming in the UK, with around 28,000 operations taking place in 2017, according to the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons.

The Cosmetic Industry

The cosmetic industry is a highly lucrative market for practitioners, with more than £3.6 billion being spent each year, and £2.75 billion of this spend being allocated to botox and dermal fillers.

In the UK alone, there are thousands of working plastic surgeons and practitioners operating in both the NHS and private clinics, who are helping to meet a rise in demand for cosmetic procedures.

The Cosmetic Industry’s Rules and Regulations

Based on these results, the industry is set to experience continued growth. However, the cosmetic sector is still facing challenges when it comes to the regulation of basic procedures such as botox and fillers. These regulations are enforced by the General Medical Council, with any invasive cosmetic procedures and laser treatments being ruled under The Care Standards Act 2000.

If a cosmetic surgery does not meet the required practice standards under these regulations,  the GMC has the power to revoke practice licences, and to take enforcement action. 

As a result of this intense scrutiny, it is important for cosmetic surgeries to follow the guidelines of the GMC, Healthcare Commission and The Care Standards Act to ensure their practices are providing high standard of patient care

There are also additional steps that cosmetic surgeries can take to ensure this high standard surpasses just patient care. Having relevant medical technology and equipment installed in all cosmetic practices is one way in which medical practitioners can safely carry out cosmetic procedures and ensure any cosmetic medications or serums are stored correctly and properly maintained. 

To achieve this, cosmetic practices are required to use specialist medical fridges to store all of their medications and serums in optimal conditions, and provide the best possible patient care.

Why do Cosmetic Surgeries Need Dedicated Medical Fridges?

Medical fridges have been purpose-built for the correct and safe storage of a variety of medicines, vaccines and cosmetic surgery products.

When it comes to cosmetic surgery products, manufacturers recommend that botox be stored between +2° to +8°C, otherwise known as the cold-chain. 

Any specialist medical fridge will be able to guarantee this temperature range, as they are purpose built with state-of-the-art thermometers which monitor the temperature of the medical fridges contents, as well as the air inside it. They additionally have accurate temperature control capabilities, meaning products can remain in cold-chain conditions.

Medical fridges also are fitted with alarm systems that can alert practitioners if a door has been left open, or if the temperature has fallen out of, or risen above the cold-chain temperature range.

This allows practitioners to take action before items become damaged or spoiled, which can help to improve patient safety. This also has benefits regarding cost-saving too, which can become an issue when needing to replace ruined products.

Which Medical Fridges are the best for Cosmetic Surgeries?

There are a wide range of medical fridges available to cosmetic surgeries, and choosing the right one will come down to some key factors.

1) The volume of products you need to store
2) The space available for your medical fridge
3) Your budget

To meet these demands, medical fridges come in different sizes ranging from small to large. 

Small

Small medical fridges are designed to fit into confined spaces and are usually placed under counter tops or desks. Alternatively, they can also be placed on top of counters and desks. Regardless of where a small medical fridge is placed, it is important to make sure that it will be located close to a power source, and will receive proper insulation.

This type of unit is best suited to smaller cosmetic surgery practices that do not stock a large volume of products, or do not have premium space.

Medium

Medium-sized medical fridges are better suited to larger cosmetic surgery practitioners where higher volumes of product are stocked. Approximately, they are around the size of a dishwasher and can still be installed underneath counter tops, like a small medical fridge.

There is also an option to leave it freestanding, if there appears to be a lack of sufficient room under counters or worktops.

Large

Large medical fridges are particularly beneficial if you run a large-scale practice, or perhaps work for the NHS. Because of the requirements of these organisations, a large medical fridge will help to manage and maintain a greater demand for cosmetic medications and serums.

Large medical fridges are freestanding and provide the maximum amount of internal storage space. Despite their increased size, they still deliver the same levels of temperature control.

Other Things to Consider When Buying a Medical Fridge for a Cosmetic Surgery

As well as offering variations in size, our medical refrigerators also come is two different styles, glass door and solid door. The advantage of the former is that products can easily be seen without opening the door, while the latter provides an added level of security.

If you’d like more information on the benefits of both glass door and solid door medical fridges, click here.

To ensure a medical fridge operates optimally, it should remain well kept, and cleaned on a regular basis. Take a look at our guide on how to clean a medical fridge.

All of this will help to ensure that the standards outlined by the GMC are properly adhered to.

We Are Here To Help!

The CoolMed team are always on hand to answer any queries or questions you may have to help you match your needs with our wide range of units. We understand that choosing the right medical fridge for your needs can be tough, particularly if this is the first time you have purchased one for your cosmetic surgery.

Here at CoolMed, our small medical fridges start from £449.99 +VAT, our medium units from £899.99 +VAT and our range of large fridges from £1299.99 +VAT. Most of our fridges come with a manufacturer’s warranty which guarantees your medical fridge for 12 months on manufacturing faults, with an offer of FOC extension to 5 years parts and labour on registration.

We also offer our CoolMed Preventative Maintenance contract. This includes an annual visit from a CoolMed engineer with only genuine CoolMed parts used. It also includes a free UKAS calibration. Our annual service fees are £120.00 and our 5-year maintenance contract is £100.00 per year.

If you’d like to know more about medical fridges for cosmetic surgeries, please contact a member of the team here.