“TT surgery” most commonly refers to one of two procedures: a tummy tuck (abdominoplasty) or a total thyroidectomy. A tummy tuck removes excess skin and fat from the abdomen and tightens the underlying muscles, while a total thyroidectomy removes the entire thyroid gland. Since both abbreviations are widely used in medical contexts, this article covers both so you can find the one you’re looking for.
Tummy Tuck: What the Procedure Involves
A tummy tuck, formally called abdominoplasty, reshapes the midsection by removing loose skin and fat, then stitching the abdominal muscles back together along the midline. This muscle repair corrects a condition called diastasis, where the two strips of core muscle separate (common after pregnancy or significant weight changes). The surgeon elevates the skin and fat layer up to the ribcage, stitches the muscles tighter to narrow the waistline, trims the excess tissue, and repositions the belly button so it sits naturally at about the level of the hip bones.
The procedure is performed under general anesthesia and typically takes two to four hours depending on complexity. Some surgeons combine it with liposuction to refine the flanks or upper abdomen.
Types of Tummy Tucks
Not every tummy tuck is the same size operation. The right version depends on how much excess skin you have and where it’s located.
- Mini tummy tuck: A short horizontal incision just above the pubic area. It only improves the lower abdomen, and the belly button stays untouched.
- Standard (full) tummy tuck: A longer hip-to-hip incision above the pubic area plus a second incision around the belly button, which gets repositioned. This addresses both the upper and lower abdomen.
- Extended tummy tuck: The incision wraps further around the hips to remove skin and fat from the flanks as well. A vertical incision may be added when a large amount of skin needs to come off.
- 360 body lift: Two incisions encircle the entire torso, improving the abdomen, hips, flanks, buttocks, thighs, and groin. This is most common after massive weight loss from bariatric surgery.
Who Is a Good Candidate
Large-scale safety data shows an overall complication rate of about 4% for abdominoplasty, but that number climbs for patients with a BMI of 30 or higher, those over 55, and men. Surgeons look at several modifiable risk factors before clearing someone for surgery, including blood sugar control, nutritional status, and weight stability.
Smoking is one of the firmest disqualifiers. Most surgeons require patients to stop all nicotine use, including vaping and marijuana, at least one month before surgery. Smokers and people with poorly controlled diabetes face significantly higher rates of wound complications, tissue death, and infection. Other contraindications include serious heart or lung disease and plans for a near-term pregnancy, since the muscle repair would be stretched apart again.
Recovery After a Tummy Tuck
Light walking is encouraged almost immediately after surgery to promote circulation. Surgical drains, if placed, come out within a few days to two weeks depending on healing. Most people return to desk work within two to three weeks, but heavy lifting and intense exercise are off limits until your surgeon gives clearance, which usually takes six to eight weeks.
The most common complication is seroma, a pocket of fluid beneath the skin, which occurs in roughly 7% of cases. Wound infection happens in about 3% of patients, and hematoma (a collection of blood under the skin) in another 3%. Tissue necrosis, where a small area of skin loses blood supply, occurs in under 2%.
What the Scar Looks Like
A full tummy tuck leaves a scar that spans from hip bone to hip bone, sitting just above the pubic area where underwear or a swimsuit typically covers it. If the belly button was repositioned, there will be a small circular scar around it. A mini tummy tuck scar is noticeably shorter, while a fleur-de-lis pattern (used after major weight loss) adds a vertical line running up the center of the abdomen.
Scars fade over 12 to 18 months but never disappear completely. Topical treatments like silicone scar cream, petroleum jelly, and cocoa butter can help during healing. For thicker or raised scars, steroid injections and laser resurfacing are options that can flatten and lighten the tissue over time.
Total Thyroidectomy: The Other TT Surgery
A total thyroidectomy removes the entire thyroid gland, the butterfly-shaped organ at the front of your neck that controls metabolism through hormone production. It is performed to treat thyroid cancer, an overactive thyroid (hyperthyroidism) that hasn’t responded to medication, or a goiter large enough to cause breathing or swallowing problems.
Certain cancers require total removal as a minimum: medullary thyroid cancer, anaplastic thyroid cancer, and cancers that affect both sides of the gland. Hyperthyroidism caused by autoimmune conditions or toxic nodules can also be corrected with this procedure when medications and radioactive iodine aren’t viable.
How the Surgery Is Performed
The surgeon makes a horizontal incision about 2 cm above the notch at the top of the breastbone, placed along a natural skin crease so the scar blends in over time. Muscle layers are carefully separated to expose the thyroid. The blood vessels feeding the gland are tied off one by one, and special attention is paid to two critical structures: the recurrent laryngeal nerve, which controls your vocal cords, and the parathyroid glands, four tiny glands that regulate calcium levels. Preserving these is one of the most technically demanding parts of the operation.
After a total thyroidectomy, you will need to take thyroid hormone replacement medication every day for the rest of your life, since your body can no longer produce these hormones on its own. Most patients stay in the hospital for one night so that calcium levels can be monitored, and recovery to normal daily activities takes about two to three weeks.