A fantastic new treatment called Thermage will be on offer at Lulu with Dr Rita Rakus. The Thermage treatment tightens your skin and renews your facial contours without surgery. The deep heat sensation is your indication that collagen is reaching effective temperatures for tightening. Only available with Dr Rakus at Lulu.

Dr Rita Rakus who has been named by the media as the 'London Lip Queen'. She has featured in 'Under the Knife' (ITV) 'Plastic Fantastic' (BBC) and is regularly mentioned in magazine articles, Tatler, Elle, Vogue, Harpers and Queen, Sunday Times, New York Times, London Evening Standard and other publications.

Dr Rakus aims to provide highest level of expertise in a non surgical facial rejuvination by way of facial line reduction and lip enhancement, using injectables (restylane, perlane and botox) You can visit Dr Rita Rakus' official website at www.drritarakus.com.

No-surgery Facelift

It's official: Thermage has now overtaken Botox as the country's most requested treatment - Dr Rita Rakus says there's now a two-month waiting list at her London clinic for the procedure, which takes from 15 minutes.

Why People Do It

Thermage is a great option for anyone who needs to tighten and tone their face, but who isn't ready to commit to surgery. The treatment is a skin toning process that uses heat, passed via radio frequency waves deep down into the dermis, causing the skin's collagen to contract and tighten so that slack or sagging skin on the surface is made to appear firmer and more toned.

How It's Done

Even though it's done after applying local anaesthetic cream, expect some discomfort. But with results lasting a few years, Rakus's loyal clientele all claim it's well worth the pain. How Much It Costs Expect to pay £2,500 for your lower face and upwards of £4,000 for a full face. Results take around three weeks to kick in and can last up to five years. I Had It Debbie Vinton, 45, a PA from London, says; 'I'd been spending £2,000 a year on Botox and fillers on my nose to mouth, but they just made my face look fatter! I was nervous about the cost of Thermage, but unlike Botox it lasts a few years, so I'll save money. It was done with a hand-held attachment that was worked ove my entire face and neck in 45 minutes; it was painful but just bearable. The results began to show after a month - a year later, my facial contours looked more defined. I looked at least five years younger.'

What is it? A treatment that uses a radio frequency to restore collagen in all three layers of the skin, leaving it smoother and tighter. It heats the bottom layer of skin including its web of supportive collagen, making the face instantly more contoured. The improvement continues over 4-6 months as new collagen grows. Usually a single session is all that's needed and results last for years.   Why did you have the treatment?   'Having hit my late 40s - when the skin starts looking like someone has loosened the bolts at the back of your ears that hold it all in place - I could no longer kid myself a decent moisturiser would make me look young again. But I didn't want surgery as I've seen too many women look like they'd been caught in a wind tunnel.'

What made you choose this treatment?   'Meeting its biggest champion, Dr Rita Rakus (www.drritarakus.com). Her London office is a modern-day Shangri-la, where every member of staff looks 15 years younger than they are. And none of it's down to surgery. As soon as I saw them, I decided to go for Thermage.'   What was it like?   'I'd read an article about Thermage which said it felt like having cigarette ends stubed out on your face - and that's exactly how it feels. However not for the entire 60 minutes of the treatment. You a shot of heat penetrating the skin which gets more intense as the treatment progresses. The intensity is on a scale of 1-5 and got up to 5 quite a few times. I only had to sqeal "stop!" a couple of times - and I truly am a coward.'   What were the results like?   'There wasnt a mark on my face at the end of the treatment. The only giveaway was how amazing my skin looked - and continues to do so. My jaw line is tighter. The lines from my nose to my mouth are much less deep. The skin on my cheeks and my lips is visibly smoother. The best thing about this experience is that women friends keep dragging me into a corner and asking what I've had done. They think I've had a face-lift. In a way I have - with all the gain and none of the pain.'   Details: Lulu Beauty Spa