Complication Data Behind Dr. Andrew Jacono’s Deep-Plane Facelift
Numbers tell much of the story behind the extended deep-plane facelift. When Dr. Andrew Jacono published his first peer-reviewed study on the technique in 2011, he reported outcomes from 153 patients in Aesthetic Surgery Journal. The figures drew attention because they came in under the industry averages typically cited for facelift surgery. For an operation long associated with an obviously altered look, hard outcome data offered a different kind of argument.
What the 2011 Study Found
Three measures stood out. The revision rate, meaning the share of patients who needed a follow-up procedure, was 3.9%. Hematoma, a collection of blood under the skin that can occur after surgery, appeared in about 1.9% of patients. Temporary facial nerve injury affected 1.3%. All three numbers landed below the averages generally reported across facelift procedures.
Each of those outcomes matters to patients weighing surgery. A hematoma can slow recovery. Nerve injury, even when temporary, can affect facial movement for a period of time. Revisions add cost, downtime, and a second operation.
Why the Technique May Be Safer
Later research offered an explanation for the nerve findings. Deep-plane techniques were shown to be less likely to cause facial nerve injury than superficial facelifts. The reason lies in how the dissection is performed. Dr. Andrew Jacono operates beneath the SMAS, the tissue layer connecting facial muscles to skin, while keeping skin, muscle, and fat joined as one unit. That approach preserves anatomical relationships and blood supply instead of disrupting them.
Volume also plays a part. Dr. Jacono performs approximately 250 deep-plane facelifts each year, and his 2021 textbook drew on more than 2,000 procedures. Repetition at that scale allows for steady refinement of technique.
Safety figures sit alongside other reported advantages, including results lasting 12 to 15 years and incisions about one-third the length of traditional ones. Proponents argue that this combination, documented through peer-reviewed research, is what earns the extended deep-plane facelift its standing. Dr. Andrew Jacono has since presented the method at international conferences, where surgeons can weigh that evidence for themselves. Visit this page for related information.
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