I HATE needles; always have, always will. Whenever Ive given blood, plasma or had a test done I've had to look away. So when I learned the non-invasive beauty treatment I was to have consisted of more than 30 micro-injections, I nearly fainted on the spot.

I must also confess to being a bit of a beauty treatment novice. Waxing, plucking, filling, zapping or implanting are all unknowns to me. I was always of the opinion that nature would take care of itself, but then I had children and then began to notice the steady march of time.

Gravity, it seemed, was against me in more areas than I cared to do battle with. Faced with the prospect of enhance it or lose it for good, I opted for the latter.

I was reassured to learn that Helen Lynch of Boco Medical had spent many years as a nurse working for the NHS and BUPA before opening her own beauty therapy studio.

Helen has just moved into new premises above Quali Dental Practice in Rickmansworth where she offers a range of beauty treatments including Botox, reflexology and Elastence, which was launched last year, and is recommended for restoring hydration, tone, and elasticity to the skin on the face, neck, décolletage and backs of the hands.

Helen recommended I opt for Elastence to give a boost to my skin. The treatment uses non-animal hyaluronic acid, which is a naturally occurring substance in the body that gives it that youthful plumpness.

The idea of someone with sound medical experience reasssured me greatly about undertaking the procedure and the idea of restoring a little oomph to my cleavage was too good to resist.

We had discussed where I would like to have the treatment done and I opted for the cleavage area not only because I felt that would be the area that would benefit the most, but because the needles do leave marks on the skin at first and the idea of going back to work with puffy eyes was not at all appealing.

As it was, Helen applied an anaesthetic cream to the area and then helped me to relax with reflexology.

I should point out I hate my feet being touched as well, but swiftly got over that particular phobia as Helen soothed me into a near catatonic state.

By the time the 30-odd needles were applied just below the surface of the skin, I was without a care in the world and watched with interest as a v-shaped area around my neck began to resemble the skin of a plucked chicken. When these raised lumps and bumps had not gone down a day later I became concerned, and I did feel a little bruised afterwards, but they gradually faded to nothing the next day.

Two or three initial treatments of Elastence are recommended, each 20-30 days apart with further maintenance sessions as required. As well as doing an assessment of lifestyle and health, Helen recommends people having the treatment make sure they drink the required eight glasses of water a day, use a sunscreen year round, moisturise the skin and take Vitamin E on a regular basis.

Helen says she has had a favourable response from people undergoing the treatment. One woman's husband described his wife's skin as being "more juicy" afterwards. For myself, the crepe paper effect that was starting to creep in appears less obvious and all fear of needles has been dissipated for now at least.

Details: 01923 896333