Some families have Roman noses or varicose veins; mine have the Lucas saddlebags. At a size six, my mother still had them, so I had pretty much given up hope of ever getting rid of mine. When I heard about a reshaping, non-surgical treatment being offered in Alderley Edge, I refused to get my hopes up, but secretly harboured dreams of a svelte new bikini body for my summer holiday Ultrashape was developed by a team of plastic surgeons and doctors in the USA and Israel, and is CE medically approved by European legislation.

Until recently, UK residents could only take advantage of Ultrashape at a couple of London practices. However, it has now been brought up north by Dr. Paul Cronin and his team at Eternal Youth.

Using ultrasound, Ultrashape breaks down fat cells in the treated area, liquefying them so that they can be, I quote, evacuated by the normal bodily channels of excretion' or transferred into energy. Because of this, your body is getting more energy than usual, so it is advisable to stick to a low fat, low carb diet for a month after the treatment, as otherwise you risk putting on weight elsewhere. When I was initially told that, alarm bells started ringing. Surely following that kind of diet for a month would result in inch loss anyway? More on that later The treatment takes around an hour, and you can expect to see results within one week, although full results are not apparent for a month. Dr.

Cronin warned me that three treatments are advisable, in order to really see a difference, with clients then experiencing a permanent loss of up to 2.5 inches (6.3 centimetres)!

Ultrashape is non-invasive; there are no scalpels or needles. You do experience a slight burning sensation - about on the same pain level as being flicked with a rubber band. There is no bruising or scarring afterwards, and no recovery time.

I have to admit, I didn't do the best job at sticking to the low fat, low carb diet. (I have the willpower of a moth.) However, within one week, I could already see a difference, and within two, I was more than impressed.

It's difficult to measure that area exactly, but I have lost at least inch (1.3 centimetres), which may not sound like much, but it has made a big difference to my contour. Apparently, I can expect to see an even greater difference by the time the month is up.

Each Ultrashape treatment costs £800, so it's not cheap, but the confidence boost it has given me is well worth it in my opinion, and I may well be saving up for round two!

For more information, visit: www.eternalyouth.co.uk