AS a society, we have become slaves to self-improvement, a neurosis reflected in the popularity of gritty dramas like the recent Channel 4 Nip/Tuck series, grotesquely graphic documentaries about plastic surgery and adverts for various lotions and potions professing to contain the key to physical perfection.

Being a victim of an age ever-seeking the recipe for eternal youth, I jumped at the chance to receive a trial session of facial acupuncture with David Burness at the Lagoon Health and Beauty Salon at Longbarn Village, Alcester.

The threat of Christmas parties and cameras offered the perfect excuse to inject some energy and youth into my tired, pallid complexion.

And "inject" is the right word for Mr Burness' facial rejuvenation acupuncture involves the insertion of tiny needles into the skin, which are then connected to an electrical current.

The idea is that the electric energy boosts blood circulation, increasing the supply of oxygen and nutrients to the skin and giving it a plumper and more youthful appearance.

I certainly felt my face was undergoing a workout as the energy buzzed through my skin but the sensation was far from painful or frightening. The needles were so small I could barely feel them and although I must have looked like a human pin cushion, I felt relaxed and found myself almost enjoying the experience.

Facial acupuncture, known to veterans as "acufacial", finds its origins in Chinese history with the Empress of China undergoing an acupuncture facelift in AD960.

Although relatively new to Western society, the treatment is rapidly taking off, frequented by those who wish to experience the benefits of an anti-ageing treatment without the severe pain, time and expense of plastic surgery.

Mr Burness said: "The acufacial provides a natural approach to looking younger and works with people's facial features, enhancing them rather than creating that unnatural 'plastic surgery' look.

"They emerge from the treatment room looking like they have blossomed. Many of them say their husbands comment on their sparkly, rejuvenated appearance."

He said most of his clients were middle-aged women but added younger women and men were also becoming interested.

Mr Burness, who is also an accredited counsellor, said the treatment not only lifted the physical appearance but helped the individual as a whole.

"It's a holistic treatment that brings energy to the whole body, helping inside as well as outside. Clients often feel their confidence is given a boost and they feel able to cope with whatever is troubling them."

He is keen to create a soothing and calm environment, with soft music helping to clear the mind and relax the body. Although Mr Burness was present throughout, monitoring the procedure, his presence was unobtrusive and did not impinge on my ability to unwind.

Each treatment lasts about an hour but Mr Burness shuns the normal practice of sticking rigidly to an allotted time, saying treatment time is adapted to suit individual needs.

He said: "Everybody is different and if someone needs another 10 minutes, they receive that extra time.

"My clients are happy to wait if it means they themselves will be offered the same individual treatment."

Mr Burness recommends about six treatments, costing £58 a session - with one treatment free if a block of six is booked - but said many of his clients return for an important event, such as a wedding or work presentation.

After the needles were removed, I was treated to a vigorous face massage. Cold water and a dose of the warming Chinese herb moxa was rubbed on my skin, with some tea-tree oil to complete the treatment.

The acufacial is not for those who expect a dramatic transformation - its result is gentle and subtle rather than drastic - but a single session left me feeling revived and ready to face the world - and Christmas. The sallow, tired look had disappeared, replaced by a fresher-faced, more sparkly "me".