Skin Care Products. An effective way to reduce your wrinkles, diminish signs of aging, treat adult acne and heal skin disorders.

(As excerpted from Heart to Heart- Gert Thaler's Personal Journal)

I looked in my very own special mirror and asked the proverbial question: “Mirror, mirror on the wall, etc., etc.,” And, as anticipated (and computerized), the answer shot right back: “You, Queen Gertrude, you are the fairest by far in all the land.” And then, in a whisper that it obviously hoped I would not catch, went on with the rest of it’s prophecy: “At least, for today!” So much for the wisdom of magic mirrors.

I am moisturized, vaporized, Simonized. I sparkle. Like Cinderella, I got transformed this morning. My neglected skin became the visage of a racing, ranting beauty, judging from the face that looked back at me from another mirror- the dreaded magnifying apparatus that easily picks out all the usually hidden, unfriendly blemishes that every woman spends valuable makeup time trying to conceal.

I trudged into Sophia Brodsky’s beauty salon on Del Cerro Boulevard, appropriately called “Sophia,” plunked my body down in her serene, softly-lit massage room and spent the next hour and a half revitalizing, renewing and rejuvenating this aging, overused face. All the time, Sophia was patting and smoothly applying a magic creamed potion that really seems to have done everything she has been telling me it would do. My manicurist, Maryjane Martinez, has been using the facial fixer-upper for over a year, and her skin has a special sheen that caught my eye and brought me to the decision that there still might be hope for me. If one day’s treatment can deliver such overwhelming, user-friendly results, there is every chance that six months from now, Sophia Loren (no relation to Sophia Brodsky) might worry about standing next to me in a comparison match.

This “age-defying moisturizer” has been working its little miracle on a lot of different skin types, I have learned, and a special plus is that it is hypoallergenic. Its developers have called it an “anti-wrinkle cream," and as I write this, 12 hours later, I am still running my fingers along my cheek to feel the new found softness. As Sophia applied the initial application, a vaporizer sprayed warm steam across my face, and slowly I sank into a state of euphoria. As the clock ticked on and she expertly ran her fingers around the contours of my face, she related her professional history.

In her native Odessa, at age of 16, Sophia decided to become a cosmetician. She made a rapid rise from early training as a barber and became a ladies' hairdresser. Eventually she graduated into the realm of aesthetician. All of these talents she brought with her when she immigrated to America in 1976. At first she settled in Indianapolis, then came to San Diego, where she opened Sophia Salon.

I treasure the services of Maryjane and Sophia enough to drive from La Jolla to Del Cerro, and have done so for a number of years. Sophia, confident in this moisturizer's ability to help reduce wrinkles by 62% and diminish fine lines by 32%, has launched an exclusive distributorship in San Diego. The product, called Hydractive 24, is available only through mail order from her new company SES Enterprises. We talked about development for her sales, and she decided to offer the product to the public through continued personal contact and limited advertising, and because she has always been a faithful reader of this column, she chose to include Heritage when announcing her distributorship.

My readers know me well enough to know that I never accept free merchandise or services. That way, if I choose to write about something, it comes with an absolute ring of truth. The same goes if I knock something I found unfavorable. I plunk down my dollars for services just like everybody else, so you'd better believe me when I write how excited I am about the smoothness and softness of the texture of my skin tonight.

The numeral in the Hydractive 24 refers to the 24-hour cycle of moisturizing action by each of the smoothing agents which make up the product. At her shop,when Sophia finally quit the intensely deep cleansing, a mud mask was applied, and Sophia lulled me into just this side of dreamland by continuing her story of life in Communist Russia as a beauty operator- a profession which usually earned more money than a medical doctor. Russian women apparently placed a great deal of emphasis on visits to a beauty shop- clients lined up and waited their turns, sometimes for hours.

It seems like forever that I have searched for an ideal moisturizer as the years added up. There would be days when a flaky dust would have to be brushed from my facial skin. Not so tonight. Although this product’s label says it has been formulated to help reduce signs of premature aging, I am not sure that, in my chronological stage, too much can be done to put the brakes on. But I do know that six people who had no idea how I spent my morning today commented that my skin had a “lovely glow.” WOW! I felt like I was getting Chanukah presents early.

I am writing about this stuff because if you are fighting that battle of wrinkles and crinkles, perhaps you will consider giving this Hydractive 24 a try. It won’t be sold in any local store for some time as Sophia builds up her distributorship. It can be ordered for delivery by mail. As I said, the beauty shop is called Sophia and it is at 6351 Del Cerro Blvd., across the street from Stump’s Market.

Maryjane, the manicurist, tells me that her facial elasticity has improved tremendously, as has the softness of the skin itself. As for me, I’m marking my calendar for 28 days from the date of the first treatment. My beginning wrinkles should be slightly (62 %) erased; the fine lines could become less easy to spot; my skin should have much better moisture balance, and if all these miracles do their miracling, I may yet get a phone call from my favorite maker of salad dressings, Paul Newman. With that thought in mind, I could make an exception to the acceptance of favors in exchange for the mention of his name. If he gets tied up at the studio, he could always send me a little salad dressing, three tomatoes and some of that ready-to-eat lettuce. Free of charge, of course. The price of a head of lettuce is a miracle in itself. And, if possible, delivered by Walter Matthau, one of my favorite actors, who might want to learn about my wrinkle-disappearing act.