In 2011, a television program began airing that showed audiences something rarely visible in media coverage of plastic surgery: reconstruction performed not for cosmetic reasons but to restore the faces of women who had survived violent abuse. Facing Trauma, which aired on the Oprah Winfrey Network and Discovery Fit and Health, followed Dr. Andrew Jacono and his team through the full arc of each case, from a patient’s first consultation to her surgical recovery.

The series drew attention to a dimension of facial plastic surgery that the field’s cosmetic reputation tends to obscure. Dr. Andrew Jacono, who is perhaps better known for developing the extended deep-plane facelift and treating a high-end clientele, had long been engaged in pro bono reconstructive work for domestic violence survivors before the cameras arrived. The show simply brought that work to wider notice.

The FACE TO FACE Program

Dr. Jacono’s domestic humanitarian work is structured partly through the FACE TO FACE Committee of the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. The program connects survivors of domestic violence with surgeons willing to provide free consultations and surgical care. Dr. Jacono served as its national chairman and has to date provided pro bono reconstructive surgery to more than 100 female victims.

The injuries these patients present with are often severe. Domestic violence can produce orbital fractures, broken nasal bones, and significant soft-tissue damage that requires complex reconstruction. For patients who have survived these injuries without financial resources, the FACE TO FACE model offers a path to care that would otherwise not exist.

International Work with Children

The domestic work runs in parallel with Dr. Andrew Jacono’s international missions. He has treated more than 750 children in developing countries through organizations including Healing the Children, the HUGS Foundation, and THAI Children. Destinations include Colombia, Ecuador, Thailand, and Vietnam, where he addresses conditions like cleft lip and palate, microtia, and facial tumors. As Fellowship Director for the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, he also works to embed this humanitarian orientation in surgeons who are still early in their training. Refer to this article to learn more.

See for more about Dr. Andrew Jacono on https://www.youtube.com/c/drandrewjacono