11:51 AM PT -- Dr. Terry joined us on "TMZ Live" Wednesday morning to further discuss the attempt on Donald Trump's life ... including his theory that DJT's injury might be more superficial than it originally appeared and mentioning the possibility of PTSD for the former prez.

Dr. Terry Dubrow is giving his expert take on Donald Trump's wounded ear -- dishing on what kinda surgery he might need ... which could be uglier than many thought.

We caught up with the "Botched" star Tuesday -- who's a plastic surgeon himself -- and he tells us depending on how much tissue was blown off from the high-velocity bullet impact after the assassination attempt ... Trump might need a "missing parts" surgery.

He tells us that such reconstructive surgery is complex ... and considering the ear's poor blood supply, the chances of infection are pretty high. He also explains where docs might grab tissue from Trump's body to potentially stitch onto his ear ... and it's pretty gnarly!

TD says if DT goes under the knife, he could be in the hospital for a while ... noting infection is likely and that Trump's healing process could be a long and complicated one, full of meds.

Obviously, that wouldn't be great timing since Trump's hot on the campaign trail for the 2024 presidential race against Joe Biden ... and the momentum is in his favor. BTW, Terry notes, he's not sure if actually Trump needs surgery ... but if he does, it may be a lil' messy.

Also worth noting ... Trump's doctor recently said he thinks the ear will heal up just fine on its own -- but if you listen to Dr. Dubrow here ... it doesn't sound like he's sure about that.

In any case, Dubrow has advice for Trump ... choose your surgeon wisely! Of course, he added if needed, he’d be available for the job -- considering reconstructive surgery is his specialty. So yeah, if DT's looking for a good doc for the job ... Terry's offering himself up.

TD emphasizes how lucky Donald is to be alive -- especially since the bullet could’ve gone right through him if he hadn't tilted his head. Luckily, it's just his ear that's jacked up.

It doesn't have to be though ... that much TD makes clear. Bring on the anesthesia?!?