Why Patients Fly from All Over the World to See Dr. Andrew Jacono

The waiting list at Dr. Andrew Jacono’s Park Avenue practice includes patients from Europe, the Middle East, Latin America, and Asia. They are not traveling to New York for a lack of options in their home countries.

They are traveling because the extended deep-plane facelift technique Dr. Jacono developed and published has become one of the most referenced approaches in facial plastic surgery.

A Technique That Moved Through the Field

Dr. Andrew Jacono, a dual board-certified facial plastic and reconstructive surgeon, developed the Minimal Access Deep-Plane Extended (MADE) facelift in the early 2000s. The procedure lifts skin, muscle, and fat as a single cohesive unit rather than separating the skin from the tissue beneath it, then releasing the retaining ligaments that hold facial structures in their descended positions. The result is a vertical repositioning of the midface, jawline, and neck, addressing the structural causes of aging rather than its surface appearance.

Vogue Turkey, covering the procedure’s anatomy in April 2026, noted that Dr. Jacono is considered worthy of the “Deep Plane King” nickname among his colleagues. His own explanation of the approach is direct: “This procedure focuses on freeing and repositioning deep muscle and fat layers, rather than stretching the skin.” The publication reported that by working in the natural anatomical layers of the face, “pain and healing process is more comfortable than expected in most cases.”

That technical precision has earned peer endorsement at the highest levels of the surgical community. Dr. Gregor Bran, a facial plastic surgeon, described Dr. Jacono’s influence in a widely circulated Instagram reel: “He is the reason everybody’s talking about Deep Plane facelift surgery. He has taught everybody who is good everything he knows… not one person in the presentations didn’t have a picture with Andrew visiting Andrew at some point in their careers.”

What Draws Patients Across Borders

The clinical data behind the technique is part of what draws international patients to consult with Dr. Andrew Jacono directly. His first published series, documented in Aesthetic Surgery Journal in 2011, covered 153 patients and established the foundational outcomes for the approach. A 2019 follow-up publication introduced further refinements for jawline rejuvenation and lower-face volumization. He now performs approximately 250 deep-plane facelifts annually at his Manhattan practice.

Results from the extended deep-plane facelift last 12 to 15 years, roughly twice as long as standard SMAS procedures, because the deeper tissue repositioning holds its structure over time rather than relying on surface tension that gradually loosens. Key factors affecting that longevity include technique, lifestyle, skin quality, and care.

The patient base reflects the procedure’s reach. Dr. Jacono has been featured in The New York Times, Forbes, Harper’s Bazaar, Marie Claire, and The Wall Street Journal, among others. He has appeared on Good Morning America, CNN, and CNBC. His 2019 consumer book, The Park Avenue Face, brought his surgical philosophy to a general readership, and his 2021 medical textbook, The Art and Science of Extended Deep Plane Face Lifting, documented his technique for surgical peers worldwide.

Recognition That Extends Beyond New York

Dr. Andrew Jacono has delivered lectures at Harvard, Yale, Stanford, Columbia, and the University of Pennsylvania, and has presented clinical research and conducted live surgery at more than 100 plastic surgery meetings and symposiums globally, including those hosted by the International Master Course on Aging Skin (IMCAS), the European Academy of Facial Plastic Surgery (EAFPS), and the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ISAPS).

His academic role as Fellowship Director for the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery has extended his influence further. Dr. Andrew Jacono has served for most of his career in that position, training Fellows from the AAFPRS in advanced techniques, which means surgeons working in practices across the country and internationally carry his methodological approach forward in their own operating rooms.

Harper’s Bazaar named him among the 24 best plastic surgeons in America. He has received the Most Compassionate Doctor Award consecutively from 2012 to 2022, an honor given to fewer than 3% of physicians.