I'll have a botox to go

In New York it is accepted wisdom among ladies who lunch that, as you head into your thirties, you swap your facialist for a dermatologist. A few cleansing oils and a couple of tweaks to your cheeks will no longer do. It's not the odd spot that's a problem any more, it's lines and wrinkles.

However charming your designer clad beautician may be, a white-coated doctor can produce results that no amount of expensive over-the-counter products can. Except going to a doctor sounds too much like going under the knife.

So many a furrowed brow is now heading for a new treatment centre in New York called Skinklinic, set up by a former president of Revlon Cosmetics and the CEO of Starbucks. This might sound an odd concoction but actually makes sense: Skinklinic aims to make everything from Botox injections and skin peels as easy to order, and almost as cheap, as a latte to go. After 40 minutes, claims the clinic, you should walk away with significantly improved skin. "It's the lunchtime, no downtime way to take care of your skin," says the eerily wrinkle-free founder, 52-year-old Kathy Dwyer. The idea came when she hit 46 and realised products alone were no longer giving her the effects she wanted.

"I was looking tired," she says. So, instead of a good night's sleep, she opted for monthly glycolic peels, Botox every six months, laser removal of broken capillaries, age spot removal and treatment to stimulate her collagen production.

Dwyer, named as one of the top 100 women in business in America by Fortune magazine, earned more than a million dollars a year at Revlon and had the clout to pull together a big-hitting team. They plan to open clinics all over the US and Britain. To create, in essence, a Starbucks for the skin.

Skinklinic is on Fifth Avenue across the street from Barneys, the favourite department store of New York's fashionistas. The entrance is very Zen, with a small bridge over water leading into a minimalist white space. It looks like an expensive spa, but here you're asked to fill out a medical history not a scent preference. And instead of a beautician. I'm greeted by Michelle, a registered nurse. Although all the nurses are trained for four months in the procedures, they only do the superficial work. An on-site dermatologist performs invasive treatments such as Botox and collagen injections.

Michelle studies my skin under a brightly lit magnifying glass and, since I'm too young for real wrinkles, recommends a glycolic peel to minimise fine lines and blemishes. "You might get glycolic peels in a spa, but they use a glycolic wash, which is only a 10 per cent solution, compared to the stronger solutions we use. Its confusing for consumers because it sounds the same," she says. She takes a picture of my skin for the records, and applies the peel. It stings, but she only leaves it on for a couple of minutes. My face is red, but most of my blemishes have miraculously vaporised.

At $100 a peel, this is expensive, although not more than a facial at a spa. At a dermatologist in New York you pay upwards of $190 for a peel plus consultation fee. In Britain, dermatologists charge around £150 for the same treatment.

Anastasia Miller, a 53-year-old writer in New York, is already a fan, and goes every two weeks. "I had little spider veins on my cheeks lasered off, peels and microdermabrasion. I gained back about 14 years and stopped looking saggy and puffy," she says. Popping out in your lunch break for a sandwich and a collagen injection sounds surreal, but it's only a matter of time before you stroll down your high street and hear someone shout: "I'll have a cappuccino and a pair of Liz Hurley lips to go please."