Domestic violence leaves physical marks that can persist long after a survivor escapes an abusive situation. Broken bones, soft-tissue injuries, and scarring from assault can alter a face in ways that make daily life harder and that carry their own psychological weight. For women who sustain these injuries without financial means to access reconstructive care, the damage can become a permanent reminder of the violence they endured.

Dr. Andrew Jacono has spent a significant portion of his career working to address that gap. Through the FACE TO FACE program of the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, he served as national chairman of an initiative that connects domestic violence survivors with pro bono surgical consultations and operations. To date, he has provided free reconstructive surgery to more than 100 female patients.

What Reconstruction Accomplishes

For a domestic violence survivor, facial reconstruction does more than address the physical injury. It can restore a sense of self that the violence disrupted. A repaired orbital fracture, a corrected nasal break, or the reduction of scarring can reduce the visibility of what happened and help a patient reclaim her appearance on her own terms. Dr. Andrew Jacono has described this dimension of the work as inseparable from its surgical dimension.

Dr. Andrew Jacono’s commitment was visible enough to attract the attention of television producers. The series Facing Trauma, which aired on the Oprah Winfrey Network and Discovery Fit and Health, followed Dr. Jacono through multiple cases involving domestic violence survivors, documenting the medical and emotional arc from first meeting to recovery.

Connecting the Domestic and International Work

The domestic pro bono work exists alongside Dr. Andrew Jacono’s international missions, which have taken him to more than a half-dozen countries to treat children with congenital facial deformities. More than 750 children have received surgical care through his missions with Healing the Children, the HUGS Foundation, and THAI Children. Both streams of humanitarian work reflect the same foundational belief that shaped Jacono’s sense of purpose as a young medical student watching a girl’s life change after cleft palate surgery. See related link for more information.

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