Big hugs to you, OP xxx 💐
I have a lot of experience with good skincare, because I've been interested in it all my adult life. If you get some good stuff and use it consistently, you will see a difference.
There are many great brands out there, but one which I think really works and has never let me down is Estee Lauder. Also Lancome.
It's not cheap, but in my experience it's really worth it. No, they can't fix major wrinkles and do what surgery does, but they have the power to even out your complexion, soften wrinkles, and create a much more reflective, glowy, surface, and all these things make you look younger.
You'll need to commit to it, though. Do it night and day for three months. You'll need a cleanser, toner, AHA serum, anti-ageing serum, moisturiser, and eye cream, not to mention a good facial scrub and masks for brightening and clarifying/anti-ageing, depending on your skin's needs. Don't skimp - for example, a good cleanser is much better than cheap ones at cleansing deep down.
The two serums is an excellent trick. In the Lauder range, you would use the Perfectionist Brightening serum and then the Advanced Night Repair serum (including in the day) followed by your moisturiser. It sounds like a lot, but the products are meant to be layered and they each do a different thing.
You don't have to use everything from one line. I think the Lancome Genefique serum is incredible. You could use that instead of the Lauder Advanced Night Repair.
If you do use a brightening serum and an anti-ageing serum, which I highly recommend, and you get things from different lines, that's fine but make sure you use the brightening serum before the anti-ageing serum.
If you want to commit to your skin, I would highly recommend Caroline Hiron's book Skincare: The New Edit. She's a skincare expert and her book has won all sorts of awards. Maybe read that before you buy anything.
Investing in a good skincare regime won't be cheap, but it will be cheaper than surgery, and less painful!
I find doing a skincare regime to be very soothing and enjoyable, a calming ritual and a great method of self-care. But you must be consistent to see results!
P.S. the authors of another great skincare book, The Beauty Bible, make the point that skincare companies don't want to make scientific claims because then their products would be treated as drugs instead of just skincare, and would have to then go through the FDA (in the case of Lauder, which is American) and that takes years. The FDA stands for the Food and Drug Administration. So instead of saying "This product increases cell turnover via these chemicals, which makes your skin look younger and brighter" they say something like "This product gives you a healthy glow." As a result, there are a lot of good skincare products that do more than they say they do.