What is Scarless Thyroid Surgery?

Scarless Thyroid Surgery is a very new method of removing some or all of the thyroid gland without leaving any scar in the neck. Most people who need thyroid surgery are candidates for scarless thyroid surgery which can be done two different ways (robotic and transoral). Both types of scarless thyroid surgery are discussed in great detail on this website. Scarless thyroid surgery is the most modern form of thyroid surgery and is only performed by a handfull of surgeons world wide. Great skill and advanced training are required.

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Scarless Robotic Thyroid Surgery Introduction

Conventional (old fashioned) thyroid surgery results in a readily visible and undesirable scar in the neck. In some people, this scar is very noticable and unatractive. Using brand new techniques invented in the past 4-5 years, thyroid surgery can be performed using various hidden-scar or scarless techniques. The two main scarless techniques are 1) robotic thyroidectomy and 2) transoral endoscopic thyroidectomy. The scarless robotic thyroidectomy uses a state-of-the-art robotic technology for treating thyroid nodules and thyroid cancers whereas the endoscopic thyroidectomy uses endoscopic camera and instruments similar to a scope used to remove gallbladders. For almost all patients who want a scarless thyroid operation, the robotic approach is the best. The transoral method should almost never be used.

How Does Scarless Robotic Thyroid Surgery Work?

Scarless robotic thyroid surgery has become successful only in the past 5 years or so. A number of different surgical techniques have been tried by surgeons around the world in an effort to avoid obvious visible scars in the front of the neck. Typically these scars are present for many years and many patients become very self-concious of them. Scarless thyroid surgery entails thyroid gland dissection and removal by placing the scar in far away locations (like the skin in front of the arm-pit. Thus there is no scar at all on the neck. The goal of these scarless thyroid surgery techniques are to provide same successful outcome as the traditional surgery while providing highest cosmetic satisfaction and confidentiality benefits for the patients. Depending on the technique or approach, various benign and cancerous conditions of thyroid gland can be treated and cured. We have many pages on robotic thyroid surgery on Dr Suh's website linked below.

Video Explanation of Scarless Robotic Thyroid Surgery

Dr Suh - America's best and highest volume robotic thyroid surgeon - narates this short video showing how robotic thyroid surgery is performed so there is no neck scar.

Watch a video at https://www.youtube.com/embed/sL3B2kSsn6k


The Two Types of Scarless Thyroid Surgery.

There are Two Types of Scarless Thyroid Surgery.

Scarless thyroid surgery can be performed two ways depending upon where the incisions are hidden and what tools and instruments the surgeon uses. Robotic Scarless Thyroid Surgery has the scars placed primarily in the skin in the arm-pits and an operating robot is used to perform the surgery. Transoral Scarless Thyroid Surgery has the incision placed in the mouth on the inside of the lip and scopes are used, but the robot is not. In both surgical techniques the scars are hiden and very hard to see, and there are no scars at all in the neck. Dr Suh is the most experienced scarless thyroid surgeon in the US and we are very fortunate to have him on our team. Very few surgeons think the transoral approach works, and Dr Suh agrees. Robotic thyroid surgery is the best scarless operation for 99% of people who want a scarless approach.

Most Important Scarless Thyroid Topics to Understand.

These links will take you to Dr Suh's website which is all about scarless and robotic thyroid surgery. We are blessed to have Dr Suh on our team! Here are the main topic pages that you should understand if you or a loved one needs to have thyroid surgery.
  • Who can have Robotic Thyroid Surgery. Robotic thyroid surgery can be used to remove thyroid for almost any disease, including thyroid cancers, thyroid goiters, and all thyroid nodules.
  • Outcomes following Robotic Thyroid Surgery. See how the outcomes following robotic thyroid surgery can be as good or even better than standard open (old fashioned) thyroid surgery.
  • Privacy Issues - Nobody Knows. Many patients are self consious of the large scar on their neck for many years. Scarless thyroid surgery elminates this...nobody knows you had surgery, and nobody will ask "what's that big scar from?".
  • Robotic surgery for thyroid cancer. Many patients with thyroid cancer can be operated on and cured using advanced robotic techniques with the same long-term cure rates expected.
  • Robotic surgery for thyroid nodules. The most common reason for thyroid surgery is thyroid nodules--now there is no reason to have a big (or small) scar!
  • Robotic Thyroid Surgery Techniques. More details on how robotic thyroid surgery is performed to remove thyroid cancers, thyroid goiters, and thyroid nodules.

The "Suh Scarless Thyroid Center", America's Leading Robotic Thyroid Surgery Center

The Suh Scarless Thyroid Center is part of the Clayman Thyroid Surgery Center in Tampa. The Scarless Robotic Thyroid Center was founded by Dr Hyun Suh, MD to provide patients with thyroid tumors, nodules, goiters and cancers with the best outcomes but without the big scar on the neck. Prior to opening the Center, Dr Suh was the Director of Endocrine Surgery at Mt Sinai Hospital in New York, and was the Director of the Endocrine Surgery Fellowship at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mt Sinai. Dr Suh learned robotic scarless thyroid surgery and transoral thyroid surgery in Korea from the surgeons who invented it. He was the first to perform robotic thyroid surgery in the US, and is by far the highest-volume and most experienced robotic scarless thyroid surgeon in the U.S.

The Suh Scarless Thyroid Center is a member of the world famous Norman/Clayman Endocrine Institute in Tampa Florida. The Institute is made up of 4 endocrine specialty centers, one for thyroid/thyroid cancer, one for scarless thyroid, one for parathyroid, and the last for adrenal surgery.


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Founded by Dr Gary Clayman, the Clayman Thyroid Center is widely known as America’s leading thyroid surgery center performing nearly 2000 thyroid operations annually. Our reputation as the best thyroid surgeons means patients from all over the US and many foreign countries travel to Tampa for their thyroid surgery. With same-day evaluation and surgery scheduling, we make traveling for thyroid surgery convenient for every patient.

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