Uh - in Germany we say: “Gut Ding will Weile haben.” Something like: good things simply take long.
Very well done.
For SSS there is a fake option.
Just duplicate the areas where you want to have SSS via mask or something. As you can’t duplicate complete model.
On bottom of this thread is a short description.
It’s a fake with additive material and not working with lights, but the effect is not too bad. Best to try it with a simple project first 