COSMETIC surgery can now be carried out in your lunch hour -- by microwave. Busy people do not even have to take time out of their hectic working day to improve their appearance.

And the latest treatment to offer a quick fix is "veinwave", developed in Bolton by consultant vascular surgeon Brian Newman.

It is based on microwaves -- yes, just like the ones you use to cook your jacket potato -- and it successfully removes thread veins.

It is particularly effective on unsightly veins on the face and legs.

The veins literally vanish into thin air as a fine insulated needle is inserted into the skin.

The process sounds invasive but it is not. It is a virtually painless treatment and you can carry on with your normal activities afterwards. And that includes going back to the office.

It works just like magic. As the tiny needle enters the skin you can actually see the vein disappearing -- and it will not come back.

Mr Newman is justifiably proud of his revolutionary treatment which he carries out at Newlands Medical Centre in Chorley New Road, Heaton and teaches to doctors all over this country and throughout the world.

Small thread veins on the nose are easily treatable -- as are those spidery veins commonly seen on women's legs.

It is a two-pronged attack. An ultra-fine needle is put on to the surface of the skin to contract and narrow the vein and then the needle goes just below the skin firing a current which causes the walls of the vein to stick together and collapse. The vein then disappears.

This is hi-tech stuff. You can actually watch the veins disappearing before your very eyes on a television screen as Mr Newman is working.

Mr Newman can deal with veins that are clearly visible to the naked eye and can even treat veins that cannot be seen in natural light. He has the technology at hand to look below the surface of the skin.

Veinwave is not the only way to remove thread veins but it is promising to be the most effective.

Nobody really knows what causes thread veins. Mr Newman said: "The ones on the face could be caused by smoking, drinking or environmental issues. Some people tend to get them from eating curries and spicy food."

Like many women -- apparently 50 per cent of us suffer from these unsightly veins at some time in our lives -- I have small thread veins on my face.

I should say "had" because Mr Newman very quickly removed the most unsightly of the veins in a matter of minutes.

I lay down on the bed with a certain amount of trepidation but any fears were totally unfounded.

There is no need to "prepare" the skin and Mr Newman does not have to wear surgical gloves. It all feels very comfortable and you could be forgiven for thinking you were not in a clinic at all.

It was pretty painless. The insulated needle, which is almost totally painless, could not be used on me because of my allergies but the next best thing -- a gold needle -- meant I just felt a very slight pin-prick each time it was inserted.

The treatment was over and done with in a matter of minutes and the veins just vanished -- a bit like rubbing out lines on a piece of paper.

Mr Newman did not treat all the veins -- prescription drugs I had recently taken may have caused a reaction -- but the ones he did treat successfully disappeared.

I felt no side-effects, only a desire to keep checking my nose to make sure the veins really had gone. And they had.

A basic treatment will cost around £120, with an additional £100 for Mr Newman's consultation fee and more extensive treatments will be more expensive.

For more details, ring 01204 842830.