Skin Treatments w/o Uncanny Valley

In My Humble Opinion
1

In my experience/observation, most skin and beauty procedures - laser resurfacing, botox, etc. - create an effect that’s not-quite-right. Maybe you look better on a camera but, in person and up-close, there’s a strangeness to the way a person’s skin looks and acts that is vaguely unsettling.

General skin care guidance, for a long-lasting and youthful look, are things like:

  1. Stay out of the sun
  2. Moisturize
  3. Eat healthy
  4. Exercise
  5. Retinoids

And those (other than the last) I trust do their job and simply create a healthy look w/ extended youth.

But are there any procedures (e.g. microneedling) or treatments (e.g. topicals) available today beyond those that are actually proven effective, are at least largely permanent, don’t create an uncanny valley effect, and aren’t damaging to the skin over the long term?

2
  1. Avoid alcohol, tobacco/vaping products, and the usual recreational drugs.
3

I have seen recommendations for topical vitamin C use, but I have no idea how valid they are.

I suspect that there is no such treatment that really makes a significant long-term difference in making skin look younger in a natural way. IANA dermatologist and have no justification for my suspicions other than endemic distrust of the beauty industry.