Alma Medical Pvt Ltd, the Asian subsidiary of Israel-based Alma Lasers recently announced the opening of its marketing operations in Nepal at a function in Kathmandu. Alma Lasers is a producer of various products for the aesthetic and surgical markets and is considered as a global pioneer in laser, light-based, radiofrequency and ultrasound solutions. The company plans to distribute solutions ranging from hair removal systems to pigmentation correction, body contouring along with the treatment of Psoriasis and Vitiligo. Soumen Dutta, CEO and MD, Alma Lasers India and SAARC Operations was in Kathmandu for the launch. New Business Age caught up with Soumen to talk about the products and the present makeup of the Nepali aesthetic and surgical markets, among other issues. Excerpts: 

What led Alma Medical to start operations in Nepal?
Primarily we have operations in over 90 countries. We are focusing on India because it is a very large market. Alma has direct operations there. But we thought of not limiting our operations to India and looked to expand our business across the SAARC region and also to a number of other nations. It was obvious for the Nepali market to enter our priority list when we came up with the expansion plan. But beyond that if you ask me, we have also realised that there were a few skin problems very common here. Pigmentation is very common here like in India due to the direct exposure of skin to the scorching sunlight. Similarly, we also found Melasma as a general problem here. Similarly, we have also noticed the growing concern among Nepalis about their beautification regarding their skincare. 

Our business basically focuses on two areas. One is the clinical cure of various problems and another is the beautification of our customers. We are the pioneer in this field and as a leader we take first steps to groom the market. We are here to groom and grow the market as we have all the latest technologies and resources. 

Tell us something about Alma Lasers. 
Alma Lasers has been in the global market for around 16 years. The founder of this company Dr Ziv Karni has been in this field for quite a long time. He has invented more than 40 products that led the company to make technological breakthroughs in laser, light-based, radiofrequency and ultrasound solutions for the aesthetic and surgical markets. Regarding the hair removal technology, we are the number one player globally. 

Once we develop a new technology, we don't stop there and look for something new. Every year we come up with new innovations. Whenever our new products are launched, other companies try to copy them within two to three years. But we are always ahead in the market competition. Now we have a new product called Soprano Platinum that uses three laser beams at one shot to effectively remove unwanted body hair. 

What are the key products of your company?
Our major products are hair removal systems. Similarly, we have a product called Key Switch for skin rejuvenation. It is used for the treatment of pigmentation and skin toning. We have products for body contouring.  We also have a lot of other products for various uses. 

In Alma we have three product baskets. First is the general basket, second is the aesthetic basket and now we have introduced the surgical basket. We have sold more than 600 types of products globally.

How is Alma Lasers maintaining safety standards in its equipment?
Safety is our number one priority. Due to the high level of safety procedures, our equipments and systems are approved by the world’s top agencies such as the US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA). In Alma Lasers, our first priority is safety. Then we go for the efficiency of products. 

What type of dermatology solutions is your company launching in Nepal? What services are you offering here?
We are getting a lot of enquiries for our hair removal systems from Nepal. We have various brands in hair removal solutions like the Soprano range. So, we are first launching hair removal products here.  We have also introduced the Key Switch which is used in curing pigmentation problems. Some doctors have also shown their interest in the vaginal rejuvination system Femilift as well. Another probable product for launch here is our laser liposuction technology LipoLife that is used for removing excess fat from the body as well as skin toning. As safety is very important for Alma, we have a very minimal invasive laser liposuction technology.