Nira Pro+ Laser Review: What it will and won’t do for your skin and how it compares to the Precision device

The Nira laser is a hand-held device which delivers shots of non-ablative laser light into your skin.

They heat your dermal layer with the aim of triggering the skin to produce more collagen. 

And the idea is you do this pretty much every day with best results seen after two to three months. 

Four years ago I first tested the original Nira Precision (£429/$449) device to target the lines on my forehead.

When I compared the before and after pictures it had reduced the depth of deeper lines.  

I stopped using it and before too long the lines were back to where they were. 

PRECISION v PRO v PRO+

Now the makers of the Nira devices have released two further models. The Nira Pro (£569/$599 and, more recently, the Nira Pro+ (£615/$649) and I have tested both.

The Pro models are designed to target slightly larger areas.

They’re also quicker and more comfortable to use because they have lighter power engines to prevent overheating.

The new Nira Pro+ is said to be 50% more powerful than the Nira Pro and decreases treatment time by around a third.

It delivers the shots of light faster meaning you can move on to the next area more quickly.

HOW TO USE THE NIRA LASER

All three devices are cordless and you recharge using a USB cable.

You switch them on at the front, choose from five power levels, then place the tip of the device flat against your skin.

That can be a little fiddly. You sometimes have to readjust before it will work but you don’t have to press anything to fire the laser. It senses when the tip is flat against your skin and will automatically flash.

You know it’s worked when you feel a warm flush against your skin and then hear two beeps.  

From there you move on to the next area. 

For smaller areas like around the eyes this is only going to take a minute.

But for my chest it took me just under three minutes with the Nira Pro – and 3 minutes is what Nira estimate it would take to treat your face/2mins with the Pro+.

What the makers say is that used on clean dry skin daily you should see fewer wrinkles on the area you’re treating within days with full results visible between 8 – 12 weeks. 

HOW IT WORKS

Ablative lasers work a little more aggressively and therefore produce faster and more dramatic results by heating our skin’s outer-layer typically down to around a 1.5mm depth.

Non-ablative lasers like the Nira create controlled wounds in the upper layer.

This particular device uses a wavelength of 1450 nm which puts it in the infrared area of the red light spectrum, penetrating to just under 1mm in depth.

The Nira is FDA approved and considered safe.

But it’s important to flag that the indications for use are for the treatment of periorbital wrinkles. That’s the area where we have clinical evidence of it being effective.  

The company is founded by engineer David Bean who I interviewed on The Honest Channel last year.

His company, Seminex, has provided laser diodes for in-clinic machines for over 20 years. S

Since most of these treatments can be painful and cause downtime, he says he invented the NIRA as a painless alternative for home use. 

It targets water in our skin to heat it to the point where dermal cells send out a cell stress response triggering the release of heat shock proteins.  

It’s believed these proteins kickstart a defense mechanism prompting cells to go into repair mode, including increasing production of collagen in the skin.

KEEPING IT COMFORTABLE

Nira say it does this just below the pain threshold and below the point where the tissue is damaged.  

The Nira Pro models are noticeably more comfortable than the Precision, with the Nira Pro+ feeling warmer because of its increased intensity, but not painful.

When you’re using devices like this you want to make sure you’re setting it to a comfortable level to avoid overheating your skin and getting undesired effects – so you’re feeling warmth but no pain.  

WHAT’S THE EVIDENCE BEHIND THE NIRA LASERS?

Let’s take a look at Nira’s published clinical study in which it was used to treat periorbital wrinkles, so the lines around the eyes, and involved 76 participants. 

An improvement in wrinkle depth was seen in 69% of subjects . So two thirds of users saw results and a third didn’t.  

The study said that of the two thirds who saw some wrinkle reduction, 68% maintained some wrinkle improvement for at least 3 months after stopping use. That also means 32% didn’t.

Nira say 81% of users achieved and maintained wrinkle improvement for at least 2 months after use. 

The study report goes on to say there were no unanticipated or severe adverse events noted. Adverse events reported included skin warmth and stinging, dryness, and temporary skin color changes where skin became darker in color.  

David Bean also says they’ve carried out biopsies that show the Nira is creating collagen within the skin. 

MY OWN EXPERIENCE

When it comes to my own results having used all 3 lasers now for over 90-day periods at a time, I can say that I have seen visible improvements in the depth of deeper wrinkles.

The depth of wrinkles with discontinued use returned to previous depth after a period of a few weeks.

I used the Nira Pro on my décolletage and in my before picture on day 1 you might notice there is a deeper crease or wrinkle running from my shoulder on the left of the picture and quite a lot of pigmentation. 

90 days later there was a softening in that line and a slight softening in the pigmentation as well but not a total rejuvenation of that area.  

The bottom line for me is that these devices can achieve results.

The visibility of the results will vary with some buyers happy and others not so much.

In my experience the Nira devices did not offer a tightening effect.

They have most evidence for treating wrinkles around the eyes and require frequent use long-term to maintain results.  

I now use the Nira on my brow area and frown lines and, with ongoing frequent use of around 3/4 times a week, I have now stopped having Botox (which I used to do every 9 months).

The lines have not disappeared, but they have reduced in depth enough and so annoy me less!

So for me it’s not so much a question of does it do anything but more can you see yourself using this device very frequently long term?

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