Alma Opus

Alma's Opus is a radiofrequency platform dedicated to facial resurfacing and tightening, and it has no laser source and no wavelength. Its signature applicator uses Opus Plasma, the fractional plasma technology Alma brought to North America in January 2020. The metal pins on an Opus Plasma tip carry high voltage RF at a frequency above 40 MHz. Held just off the skin, they ionize the surrounding air into plasma and fire microsparks that leave a fractional pattern of small ablation and coagulation zones, at a light, moderate or aggressive setting.

Alma's US product page lists four applicators for the console. Opus Plasma handles resurfacing. UniLarge is a unipolar RF applicator for skin tightening with an infrared thermometer, UniFace is a unipolar applicator with a detachable rotating massage ring, and Coaxipolar is a bipolar applicator meant for thin, bony areas. The 40.68 MHz AlmaWave technology drives the unipolar side. Alma's brochure names several plasma tips: rollers in three pin counts, Spark, Icepick and Colibri. Colibri arrived in 2022 as a single 0.7 mm tip for small areas such as around the eyes and nose.

Opus plasma tips are not unique to this console, which is a common source of confusion. FDA clearance K201520, decided October 27, 2021, covers the Opus Plasma Focus and Glide tips and the Colibri applicator and tips, and its indications span the Accent, Accent XL, Accent Elite and Opus consoles. Alma's PrimeX also offers a Microplasma applicator with the same tip names. The model name on the console label is the reliable identifier.

A dealer valuing an Opus works through each applicator. Note whether Colibri is included, since earlier systems shipped before it existed, and whether all three roller tips are there. Confirm the infrared thermometers on UniLarge and Coaxipolar read correctly, record the software version, and gather service paperwork. Photos of the serial label, the home screen and every applicator and tip support the description.