Special reportby Gayle McBain YOU can get your hair cut in your lunch hour, enjoy a relaxing facial or do a spot of shopping, but what about erasing a few facial lines in the time it would take to eat your lunchtime sandwich?

The chance to have younger looking skin is very tempting and a new laser, recently introduced in Bolton, claims to do just that in a process that can take less than an hour.

And where traditional laser facial rejuvenation treatments were not for the squeamish -- they involved burning the upper layer of skin away -- the new N-Lite laser leaves the face without a mark, and hopefully with less visible lines.

Sounds too good to be true? I went along to Laserase, at the Royal Bolton Hospital to test drive the new laser for myself.

Laserase, although housed within the Farnworth hospital, is an independent clinic specialising in tattoo removal, hair removal, thread vein treatment and now facial line treatment. According to the experts, the N-Lite laser stimulates the body's blood cells to produce new collagen. The idea is that this newly produced collagen helps to reduce fine lines and wrinkles.

Beams of yellow light are directed at the top skin layers and over a period of eight to 12 weeks, old collagen is replaced by new collagen and there should be a reduction in wrinkle depth by up to 69 per cent.

A whole face can be treated in less than one hour and if you opt to have a single section, for instance your eyes, treated then you're talking about minutes.

The great news is that N-Lite doesn't require any recovery time and fans of the treatment in London have been going for a quick zap in their lunch hour and returning to their desks without colleagues knowing where they have been.

There can be some slight swelling, or reddening, I'm warned, but it is rare.

So, with some minor concerns, I decided to have a go.

The treatment is carried out by a doctor. I was treated by Dr Mary Adams, who was extremely professional and very reassuring.

I decided to be perfectly honest and admitted that I feared the laser could damage my skin and be painful.

Dr Adams explained that most people only reported a warm feeling while the laser was being used and that the small "tester shot" would determine how my skin would react before the whole area was treated.

She took details of my medical history before proceeding with the treatment and discussed which area of my face I wanted to improve.

I opted for my eyes. Tactfully Dr Adams said I didn't have too many lines, but she thought the N-Lite could help the "laughter lines" around my eyes.

She took a digital photograph, "we'll take another photograph in three months to see the difference", and then gave me the small tester shot.

Within 10 minutes it was apparent my skin would not be damaged by the laser and the full treatment could be carried out.

Having felt the same sort of trepidation I usually reserve for a visit to the dentist I was pleasantly surprised when the laser was moved over my skin and I realised I wasn't going to feel any pain. There was a warm sensation but that was it. Within minutes the lines around my eyes were treated and I was ready to leave.

It's disappointing not to leave the clinic with visibly younger skin, but within a couple of months I should notice a difference.

A top up treatment may also be needed to achieve the very best results.

Although in the capital busy workers can have the treatment carried out in their lunch hour, here in Bolton you'll have to go along in the evening, or at weekends, when Laserase is open.

For more details of the N-Lite and the other Laserase treatments ring Bolton 382000. PRICES vary and anyone interested would need to go along to Laserase for a free consultation before embarking on the treatment.

For the purpose of N-Lite the face is split into the eyes, the forehead, the mouth and the cheeks and each is described as "a unit".

As a rough guide the prices are: One unit: £600 to £800; Two units: £900 to £1,000; Full face: £1,200.