More than 750 children across the developing world have received surgical care through the humanitarian missions led by Dr. Andrew Jacono, a dual board-certified facial plastic surgeon based in New York. These children, many of whom were born with cleft lips, palates, or other facial deformities, often grow up facing social exclusion and limited futures in communities where such conditions carry deep stigma.
Two Trips a Year, Thousands of Miles From Home
Dr. Andrew Jacono conducts approximately two international surgical missions annually, working alongside organizations including Healing the Children, the HUGS Foundation, and THAI Children. His missions have taken him to Colombia, Ecuador, Thailand, Vietnam, and other nations where specialized reconstructive care remains out of reach for most families. The procedures he performs cover a range of conditions, from cleft lip and palate repairs to surgeries addressing microtia, burn scars, and facial tumors.
For children in these communities, a cleft lip can mean exclusion from school and an inability to participate in daily social life. Dr. Andrew Jacono‘s work removes both the physical and social dimensions of these deformities. Beyond the immediate surgeries, he addresses functional problems including difficulty eating and breathing, restoring a level of normalcy that many of these children had never experienced.
Where the Mission Begins
Dr. Jacono’s path toward humanitarian work began in medical school. He witnessed how reconstructive surgery transformed the life of a young girl who had been isolated and teased because of her cleft lip and palate. After surgery changed her face and standing among her peers, he understood that technical skill in plastic surgery carried implications far beyond cosmetic improvement. That early experience shaped the career he went on to build.
Today, Dr. Andrew Jacono balances his Manhattan-based practice with these international commitments and with domestic programs serving survivors of violence. His academic role as Fellowship Director for the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery allows him to extend that philosophy to surgeons in training, reinforcing the idea that expertise creates opportunity for service. See related link for additional information.
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