As a new survey reveals 54 per cent of women want cosmetic surgery, JO HAYWOOD pins down the benefits of a more natural alternative.

IT was an average Tuesday. Cereal for breakfast; skidding through the school gates at the last minute; late for work; a cup of muddy coffee from the machine; and then a handful of needles stuck in my face.

No, I wasn't paying tribute to the horrifying Hellraiser movie or taking part in a bizarre Hedgehog Awareness Day stunt. I was enjoying the latest holistic treatment to filter through to the UK from the United States: facial rejuvenation acupuncture.

A series of 12 sessions - fewer if your skin is already in a relatively good condition - can leave you looking five to ten years younger.

Practitioners say the treatment, which involves up to 100 ultra-fine needles, has all manner of associated benefits including: improved muscle tone; increased collagen production; decreased sagging and bagging; elimination of puffiness; diminished wrinkles; improved hormonal balance; reduction of double chins; tightened pores; delayed grey hair; brighter eyes; improved facial colouring; and unblocked sinuses.

June Tranmer of The Healing Clinic, Fulford Cross, York, is one of the first practitioners in the area. She is also one of the first women in the city to feel the benefits. As soon as she came out of her consulting room, it was obvious something had changed in the ten months or so since I had last seen her.

Her skin looked fabulous. She was glowing, with the sort of peachy complexion that makes the words 'baby' and 'bottom' spring to mind.

"This treatment is about how it makes you feel, not how other people see you," says June, who has had five treatments. "You should always do this for yourself. "Although there really is nothing nicer than someone saying you look fabulous!"

Women who have not had acupuncture before may be nervous about having needles thrust into their face, but practitioners do all they can to make it a pain-free process. The sterilised, Japanese-made needles are very fine, almost invisible to the naked eye, and are inserted smoothly so you don't experience a jabbing sensation.

"There can be occasional bruising and soreness, but it's usually slight and short-lived," says June. "You also get additional benefits you don't get from other cosmetic treatments. Botox is not going to ease your bad back."

Enough of the talk: time to become a human pin cushion. The two-hour session started easily enough with a questionnaire about my general health. This is less of an interrogation and more of a friendly chat.

After revealing I had permanently frozen feet and a persistently snotty nose, I lay down flat on the bed while June dabbed helichrysum - a soothing, healing flower essence - on all the acupuncture points she was going to use. Then she put on her glasses and got out her needles.

As the first needle approached my right ear I was a tiny bit tense (in the same way I would be a tiny bit tense diving with Great White sharks).

As she progressed around my body inserting needles in my ears, hands, feet, calves, shins, neck and scalp, I certainly felt them breaking the skin. But it was a very brief sensation and was momentarily uncomfortable rather than painful.

Once the needles were in all I felt was a pleasant, energising buzz around them. Then came the face rolling, a very strange but perversely enjoyable part of the process.

June literally grabbed hold of any spare flesh around my jawline and rolled it vigorously up my face over my cheekbones and brows, past my hairline and into my scalp, where she then inserted a needle - a bit like X marks the spot.

Now it was time to get down to the serious business of rejuvenating my face. Concentrating on my problem areas (frown line, chicken pox scars and wibbly jawline), June inserted a number of ultra-fine needles into my skin.

These needles are so small she has to handle them with tweezers and can locate stray ones only with a powerful magnet. This led to a great comic moment when the search for a stray needle ended with her magnetically attached to her own filing cabinet.

By the end of the two-hour session I felt a bit like a human pin-cushion, but I also felt very relaxed - I actually stopped talking for about seven minutes (a new world record) - and buzzing with renewed energy.

Even if I do say so myself, my skin looked positively peachy.

June charges £120 for a two-hour session (£60 until September). For details: The Healing Clinic on 01904 679868. Other local practitioners include Sally Cook (01937 833669); Sarah Byfield (01977 620630); Fiona Stratham (01904 638938); and Sarah Dixon (01904 627807). For a comprehensive list of qualified practitioners, log on to www.luminousbeauty.com.

Updated: 09:44 Tuesday, July 26, 2005