Alma Pixel CO2 is a dedicated fractional CO2 platform. It leads with the LiteScan scanner for resurfacing, tone and texture, scars and photodamage, with Focus surgical applicators available for skin doctors who also do lesion work. It is included in the ARTG under 323941.
Alma Hybrid does everything the Pixel CO2 does and adds a second laser. It fires the ablative CO2 beam and a non-ablative 1570nm beam side by side in the same grid, at a ratio you set, so one pass can combine surface renewal with deep dermal stimulation. It also carries the IMPACT applicator for ultrasound-assisted delivery of approved topicals. Both platforms offer Pixel Peel. Choose Pixel CO2 if resurfacing is the job; choose Hybrid if you want the dual-wavelength control and the wider indication range.
CO2 resurfacing carries one of the highest per-treatment values in aesthetics and needs no consumables, so after the platform is paid for the cost per case is practitioner time and disposables for aftercare. It also anchors a clinic as a skin clinic rather than a beauty room, which changes the patients you attract. The questions that decide the case are volume and operator: how many resurfacing cases you can realistically book each month, and who on your team will run them. Bring your treatment prices and booking numbers to a demo and an Alma representative will build the payback with you. Finance is available through Medfin.
A CO2 laser emits at 10,600nm, a wavelength water absorbs strongly, so it vaporises a controlled amount of tissue wherever it lands. Fractional means the beam is split into a grid of microscopic columns instead of treating the whole surface, leaving untreated skin between each column. Those bridges of intact tissue are what allow fast healing while the wound-healing response rebuilds collagen through the full treated area. On the Alma Pixel CO2 the LiteScan scanner sets the pattern, density and depth, so the same machine delivers anything from a light refresh to a deep resurfacing pass.
It depends on how aggressively you treat, which is the point of a fractional device. A light full-face fractional pass usually means two to four days of redness and flaking, comparable to sunburn, with make-up back on by around day five. A deeper pass for acne scarring or heavy photodamage runs closer to seven to ten days. Pixel Peel changes this equation: by firing the fractional beam in a randomised pattern rather than sequentially, it lengthens the thermal relaxation time between adjacent columns, so the skin holds less bulk heat and patients recover faster at the same treatment density.
A fractional CO2 laser is a Class 4 device, and who may operate one is set state by state rather than nationally. Some states require licensing or registration for Class 4 laser use and a nominated laser safety officer, others rely on documented training and a written safety plan. Most Australian clinics run CO2 with a doctor, nurse or senior therapist who has completed manufacturer clinical training. Alma Lasers Australia trains your team on site at installation and takes each clinic through the rules that apply in its state before the machine arrives. See laser and IPL regulations.
