Alma IQ Skin Analysis Calgary: What the Scan Shows

CO2 resurfacing, Fotona and Morpheus8 can sound like interchangeable ways to treat the skin. They are not. Each works on different concerns, at different depths, with different downtime. Before choosing between them, it helps to see what is actually happening in the skin first.

That is where Alma IQ comes in. In short: Alma IQ is an imaging and consultation tool, not a treatment. It photographs the skin under different light modes and produces a visual report that our skin analysis experts review and send to the patient. It does not diagnose anything, and it does not choose a treatment on its own. This page explains what Alma IQ is, what its ten light modes are built to show, and where its usefulness stops.

What Is Alma IQ?

Alma IQ is a non-invasive imaging and analysis platform used to support skin consultations and pre-treatment assessment at art&fact, a surgeon-led plastic surgery and medical aesthetics clinic in Calgary's Marda Loop. According to the manufacturer, the device captures high-resolution images of the face, jawline, neck and decollete in under 10 seconds, using 10 specialized light modes. These views can make certain patterns easier to review, including texture, fine lines, pores, pigmentation, redness, vascular features, oil or sebaceous activity and facial structure. The system can also build visual reports and support comparison of images captured at different visits.

art&fact added Alma IQ alongside Alma Hybrid, its laser platform. At art&fact, Alma IQ skin analysis is used before CO2 resurfacing, Fotona and Morpheus8 treatments.

The Ten Light Modes, Grouped

Alma IQ uses 10 light modes. Each one is built to bring a different layer or feature of the skin into view. Grouped together, here is what each is designed to help make easier to see.

A single photograph taken in ordinary light only shows the surface. Alma IQ's other modes are built to reveal what daylight alone does not, from pigment sitting under the surface to variation in oil activity across different areas of the face. Not every mode is relevant to every patient. Together, these views can give a fuller picture of the skin than a single photograph. Reading them still calls for a trained professional, not the software itself.

What the Scan Cannot Tell You

This is an imaging tool, not a diagnostic one, and the limits are worth stating plainly. Understanding them matters before booking a laser treatment: a visual report can look thorough, but thorough is not the same as diagnostic.

• It does not diagnose skin conditions or disease, and it is not a skin cancer screen.
• It should not be treated as a standalone clinical measurement of hydration or tissue elasticity.
• It does not identify the cause of a skin concern.
• It does not assess whether a treatment is safe for a given patient.
• It does not select a treatment, or guarantee that any treatment will work.
• It does not replace a clinical examination, a medical history review, patch testing, or a referral when one is needed.

The images give our team more to look at. They do not remove the need for clinical judgment, and they are not a substitute for a full consultation.

How the Images Are Reviewed

After your Alma IQ scan, one of our skin analysis experts reviews the images and generates a report that is sent to you. The report provides a visual overview of the patterns captured during your scan and can help you better understand what the different imaging modes are showing.

If you have additional questions about your results or want to discuss treatment options, we can book you with one of our aestheticians for a consultation. The scan and report are designed to support that conversation, not replace a clinical assessment.

How to Prepare for an Alma IQ Skin Analysis

For your Alma IQ skin analysis, you will generally be asked to arrive with a clean face without makeup or SPF. This allows the imaging system to capture the skin without products covering the areas being assessed.

Alma IQ skin analysis is currently complimentary at art&fact.

Alma IQ Before Laser Treatment

At art&fact, Alma IQ is used before CO2 resurfacing with the Alma Hybrid, Fotona laser treatments and Morpheus8 radiofrequency microneedling. These are different technologies, not three forms of CO2 resurfacing. Reviewing the Alma IQ images before treatment gives the patient and our team a shared visual reference while deciding which option, if any, fits the concern being addressed.

A Note for Deeper Skin Tones

Imaging can help document visible pigmentation patterns across a range of skin tones. It does not remove the risk of post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, and it does not replace clinician judgment about how a given skin tone may respond to a laser or energy-based treatment. Post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation is a known risk with laser and energy-based treatments on deeper skin tones, regardless of what any pre-treatment image shows. Imaging is one part of a broader conversation about that risk, not a replacement for it.

Anyone with deeper skin tones considering CO2 resurfacing or another laser treatment should raise this directly with their treating clinician. See our related read on CO2 laser for darker skin tones.

Baseline Images and Comparing Over Time

One practical use of Alma IQ is building a baseline: a set of images captured at a point in time. Later images, taken under the same light modes, can be compared against that baseline. This comparison shows what has visibly changed in the images themselves. It is not a promise of improvement, and it is not a guaranteed outcome. What a comparison shows depends on many factors, and a treating clinician is best placed to explain what any change, or lack of change, may mean.

Some patients find it useful to see a documented starting point, especially before a longer course of treatment. Others simply want a clear picture of their skin as it is today. Either way, the value sits in the comparison itself, not in any promise about what a later image will show.

Alma IQ FAQs

Is Alma IQ a diagnostic tool?

No. Alma IQ is an imaging and consultation tool. It does not diagnose skin conditions and is not a substitute for a medical exam.

Does Alma IQ use artificial intelligence?

The manufacturer describes Alma IQ as an imaging and analysis platform with intelligent treatment guidance. It does not present it as a diagnostic AI system. A practitioner still interprets the images and makes treatment decisions.

Will the scan tell me which treatment I need?

No. The images support a conversation with our team about visible patterns. Choosing between options such as CO2 resurfacing, Fotona or Morpheus8 is a clinical decision made with your provider.

Is Alma IQ used before every laser treatment at art&fact?

Alma IQ is used before CO2 resurfacing, Fotona and Morpheus8 treatments at art&fact.

Does the scan work the same way for deeper skin tones?

Imaging can help document visible pigmentation patterns across skin tones, but it does not remove the risk of post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation or replace clinical judgment.

What does "non-invasive" mean for this scan?

It means no needles, no incisions, and no treatment applied during imaging. Alma IQ only captures photographs under different light modes.

How should I prepare for an Alma IQ skin analysis?

You will generally be asked to arrive with a clean face without makeup or SPF so the skin can be photographed without products covering the areas being assessed.

How much does an Alma IQ skin analysis cost?

Alma IQ skin analysis is currently complimentary at art&fact.

Book a Consultation

A clearer image can improve the conversation about your skin. It cannot make the clinical decision for you. To discuss Alma IQ imaging or laser treatment options, visit art&fact at 2403 33 Avenue SW in Calgary's Marda Loop, call (403) 800-9157, or get in touch.