Most patients who seek out Dr. Andrew Jacono come to his New York practice looking to address signs of aging or correct features they have long wanted to change. They book consultations, discuss outcomes, and choose surgery with time to plan. The children Dr. Jacono operates on during his international missions have no such luxury. Many have grown up with cleft lips, facial tumors, or scarring from burns, conditions that shape every social interaction they have. Their access to care depends on a surgeon willing to travel.

Dr. Andrew Jacono, a dual board-certified facial plastic surgeon, has led those missions for years. Working with Healing the Children, the HUGS Foundation, and THAI Children, he typically conducts two international trips annually, visiting countries including Colombia, Ecuador, Thailand, and Vietnam. Through these missions, he has provided surgical care to more than 750 children, addressing conditions that range from cleft palate and microtia to burn scarring and facial tumors.

What Surgery Means in These Communities

In many of the communities where Dr. Jacono works, a facial deformity can prevent a child from attending school or being accepted within the broader community. The surgery Dr. Jacono performs addresses both the physical conditions and the social consequences attached to them. Children who receive corrective surgery often return to school, rebuild social relationships, and gain access to futures that had seemed closed to them.

The origin of Dr. Jacono’s commitment to this work lies in medical school, where he observed the transformation of a young girl who had been isolated by her peers because of a cleft lip and palate. After surgery, her social world opened up entirely. That experience became the lens through which Dr. Jacono would come to understand the responsibility that accompanies surgical skill.

Pro Bono Work for Domestic Survivors

Dr. Andrew Jacono extends his humanitarian work to domestic violence survivors through the FACE TO FACE program, which provides pro bono reconstructive surgery to women whose faces bear evidence of abuse. His role as Fellowship Director for the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery further allows him to shape how the next generation of surgeons understands the ethical dimensions of their training. Refer to this article for additional information.

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