NICHOLAS Perricone, best-selling author of The Wrinkle Cure and Perricone's Prescription, a dermatologist who even movie stars are willing to trust their faces with, is to visit the island this month.

It's a working holiday for the leading skin care specialist, although it's neither the promotion of his successful line of products nor his latest best-seller that brings him here. His presence, rather, is fuelled by a cause.

Dr. Perricone will speak at a fund-raising luncheon for The Family Learning Centre on November 20 as a means of helping the charity reach its year-end budget of $150,000.

According to Martha Dismont, the Centre's executive director, it's a godsend

"It's that time of year for The Learning Centre where we're trying to meet our yearly budget," she said. "We've worked very hard throughout the year, but it's always the same at this time of year.

"There's always $150,000 that we're trying to raise before December 31. It's always tight for us. Donors all give at the beginning of the year but, as we near the end, their budgets get tight.

"Despite the hard work we may have done - we've raised between $600,000 and $700,000 - we just don't have enough.

"But it's really something to get Dr. Perricone to come here. That he's willing to come pro bono really means something. A lot of people are interested in what he has to offer. A huge portion of the population know his products and are familiar with his work. I'm just very excited that this is being done for us. Especially at this time of the year."

The Family Learning Centre works with high-risk families - generally those which have been referred or inviduals who come in search of help - to identify their problems and help solve them through counselling, parenting groups, actual courses of instruction or whatever else is deemed necessary.

"We work with the child and the family to resolve those issues so the family functions much better; so that it's a healthier family environment," added Mrs.Dismont.

On the advice of cast-mate Kyle MacLachlan, Kim Cattrall - star of the emmy-winning HBO series, Sex and the City - turned to Dr. Perricone when her face was red and inflamed. Oscar winner Julia Roberts, country singer Emmylou Harris and actresses Jada Pinkett Smith and Kate Beckinsale depend on him as well.

In just four years, N.V. Perricone, M.D Cosmeceuticals - carried by American chains Nordstrom and Sephora - has grown to a $50 million annual business.

According to People Magazine, which ran an article on the dermatologist in September, his interest in science began early. His youth was spent conducting experiments in his Connecticut basement alongside his father, Vincent, a stonemason.

However, it wasn't until the age of 31 that he decided to enrol in medical school. He set up his own practice in 1986, deciding to write a book after a number of companies including Johnson & Johnson, turned down his pitch on skin-care.

A People magazine article read: "In his 2000 best-seller, The Wrinkle Cure, Perricone declared that crow's feet and laugh lines are not unavoidable by-products of getting older, but a disease that can be treated - and prevented - by eating a diet rich in antioxidants (contained in colourful fruits and vegetables) and omega-3 fatty acids (found most noticeably in salmon), in addition to applying topical antioxidants like Vitamin C and alpha lipoic acid."

His second book, The Perricone Prescription, moved beyond mere skin care, offering meal plans, a schedule for taking vitamins and an exercise programme. If his advice is followed, the author promises noticeable changes in four weeks.

Perhaps what's most amazing about Dr. Perricone however, is that - despite being able to command huge speaking fees from organisations around the globe - he's travelling to Bermuda under his own steam and speaking for free having never met the organisers behind the fund-raiser before.

Explained Georgia Benevides, chair of the organising campaign: "I was at a party and met one of The Learning Centre's board members. I'd been a member of the Bermuda Junior Service League for 12 years but wanted to concentrate more on helping underprivileged children. She told me about The Learning Centre and suggested I meet Martha Dismont."

She, like many of her friends, had children who had just entered school, Mrs. Benevides explained. With more time on their hands and a common interest in child welfare, they wanted to help.

"She said the Centre really needed money. We'd never done anything like this before but we said we'd do what we could in the three months we had to put something together."

As it was their first attempt at fund-raising, Mrs. Benevides and her friends - Maribeth Anderson and Megan Boyle - thought it would be easier to start with a luncheon.

"I was reading (Dr. Perricone's book) and it was on the New York Times' best-seller list," she recalled. "So I called him up and asked him if he would come. And he said sure. It's great. We figured so many people would be interested because so many people have read his books.

"And more importantly, it will raise awareness about the plight of some of Bermuda's children. There are certain organisations which are always in the limelight and seem to always get plenty of support. I'd never heard of The Family Learning Centre before and I'm sure there are others out there who hadn't either. We thought it would be great if this could draw attention to them so that others might want to help as well."

In addition to the generosity of Dr. Perricone, Mrs. Benevides and her friends, Trimingham Bros. - which is to bring in his products - has paid for all the advertisements for the fund-raiser and will be making a sizeable donation to the Centre and the Phoenix Centre is donating $1 to the charity from each sale of his books.

Dr. Nicholas Perricone will speak on Wednesday, November 20 - the Universal Day of the Child - in the Tiara Room of the Fairmont Hamilton Princess Hotel. Tickets, at $75, are available at the Trimingham's cosmetics counter and Miles Market. Lunch is at noon with the lecture to begin at 1 p.m. For more information, telephone 295-1116.