More women than ever are transforming their looks with a quick injection during their lunch hour.

Women's Editor Christen Pears meets Dr Rita Rakus, practitioner of non-surgical facelifts and the Queen of the London Lip.

DR Rita Rakus pushes her glasses down to the end of her nose, peers intently over them and studies my face. It's rather disconcerting, especially when she says in a very matter-of-fact voice: "I've noticed that when you talk, you raise your eyebrows and you've got some fine lines on your forehead. It's not a problem now but it's the sort of thing that could benefit from botox in a few years."

Rita's own forehead is smooth and wrinkle-free. For a 53-year-old, she looks pretty good and she's happy to admit that she's had botox. She's also had the bags under her eyes removed and filler around her mouth.

"I never use any treatments that I haven't had myself," she announces proudly.

Rita specialises in what is known as the "knifeless facelift", a five-minute procedure that uses injectables such as collagen, restalyne, perlane and botox to smooth out lines and wrinkles and plump up sagging skin. But it's her lip enhancement work that has really made her name, earning her the acclaim of countless glossy magazines and the title "the Queen of the London Lip".

Refreshingly down to earth, Rita chats away happily while her clients wait outside for the anaesthetic cream that is smeared around their mouths and foreheads to take effect.

Born in Australia, she qualified in medicine at Sydney University before moving to Britain. While working in cosmetic surgery in London, she discovered injectables and is now one of the country's leading practitioners. Her main clinic is in Knightsbridge but she also practises at a handful of salons across the country, including Sheer Beauty in Durham. Clients flock to her because of the natural effects she manages to achieve.

"People get comments like 'You're looking well' and not 'What on earth have you done?'," she says.

She compares her role to that of a hairdresser. A good salon will offer a consultation, advising clients on the style and colour that will suit them. She can look at a patient's face and tell them which treatments will benefit them.

"I won't do something just for the sake of it. I only ever use one syringe and I send some people away because it just doesn't suit their face. Patients can lose sight of what they look like sometimes."

Non-surgical procedures are far more common now, becoming a regular part of many women's beauty routine. There's no stigma attached as there can be with plastic surgery, and the results are instant. It takes only five minutes to get rid of a line that has been there for ten years.

"People talk about it a lot more - they're quite happy to tell their friends. It's just like having a new hair do," says Rita. "I do have celebs but most of my patients are ordinary people who just want to feel a bit better about themselves. They're not vain but people after about 35 just want to freshen up a bit. They're looking after themselves, they're dressing nicely and they're exercising but they're starting to notice lines on their faces. They're not ready for plastic surgery but with this sort of treatment, if you do it soon enough and in the right way, you can get very good results."

Rita's philosophy extends beyond the syringe. She's a fervent advocate of facial exercise.

"If you do 100 sit ups every day, you're going to have a flat stomach. The same thing applies to the muscles in the face. That's why men often do so well, because they shave every day and exercise their facial muscles."

She also advises clients about exercise, a healthy diet and avoiding the sun - all crucial factors in maintaining healthy skin - but as the skin ages, lines and wrinkles are inevitable.

Plastic surgery is too extreme for a lot of women but injections are becoming safer and their effects last longer. The numbers turning to fillers and botox is soaring, while the numbers choosing surgery are on the decline.

But no treatment is fail-safe. Leslie Ash's now infamous trout pout highlighted the potential damage procedures such as lip enhancement can do but ironically, Rita says it boosted her business.

"You need to find a practitioner that you are happy with and feel confident with. You shouldn't have it done if you feel nervous in any way. I was terrified of botox for three years but I looked into it and I had it done myself. I now feel confident enough to offer it to my patients."

A good practitioner will ask patients to fill in a detailed medical questionnaire and run through the pros and cons of any procedure, highlighting anything that can go wrong. Patients should also look around for a doctor who shares their aesthetic values.

"The injection technique is not simple. The hardest thing is to look at a face and be artistic. I actually didn't realise I was artistic until I started doing this but it's like a painting.

"You can recognise that it's a good painting but if it doesn't appeal to you, you don't want it hanging on your wall. It's the same with this."

* Sheer Beauty, North Road, Durham, telephone 0191-384 5888.