GalaFLEX mesh is the latest advancement in soft tissue support. Many women who want a breast augmentation or who are looking to exchange their breast implants do not have strong enough breast tissue to really support the size implant that they’d like without sagging. GalaFLEX acts like an internal bra for these patients.
Furthermore, this product is not permanent. After a short period of time, the mesh is absorbed by the body, leaving behind a weave of scar tissue that makes the tissues stronger than they could ever be on their own. Dr. Jason Pozner of Boca Raton, FL and Dr. Craig Colville of Toledo, OH discuss who needs soft tissue support, and how GalaFLEX is changing the game.
What is Soft Tissue Support?
The breast is made up of skin and tissue. Most patients have firm, lifted breasts when they are young. Over time, certain conditions and environmental factors can weaken the breasts, such as:
- age
- hormone fluctuations
- pregnancy
- breast feeding
- menopause
- previous breast augmentation with too large of an implant
- weight gain/loss
Ultimately, the breasts will stretch and become weak. Soft tissue support is any product that helps to provide support for these tissues. Think of it like an internal bra. If you place a breast implant into tissue that is weak, the breast is going to sag. A mesh like GalaFLEX allows plastic surgeons to deliver a long-lasting result while safely utilizing a larger breast implant.
GalaFLEX Mesh for Soft Tissue Support
While soft tissue support has been around for awhile, GalaFLEX mesh represents an advancement in the field, according to breast surgery experts. “I use a lot of support. I learned from my past cases,” explains Dr. Pozner. He did many breast lift with a breast implant procedures back in the day, and 6 months after the surgery, the patient would come into the office with her breasts drooping once again. “So, I started using support.”
He primarily uses GalaFLEX mesh, and finds it “super helpful.” Dr. Colville agrees. There are a number of choices when it comes to soft tissue support, but what he likes about GalaFLEX is that it is absorbable. Unlike Stratis, it’s not permanent. Instead, “GalaFLEX leaves a strong layer behind. Stronger than the natural tissue could ever be.”
For now, Dr. Pozner still uses Stratis in capsule cases, but he is starting to use GalaFLEX as well. He is still figuring out which one he likes better. However, he rarely does a capsular contracture case without some sort of soft tissue support.
What is GalaFLEX?
GalaFLEX is an absorbable mesh made from poly-4-hydroxybutyrate (P4HB). When a woman comes in for a breast augmentation or to exchange her breast implants, the plastic surgeon will assess the quality of her breast skin and tissue as part of her initial consultation. Some women are simply born with weak breast tissue. For most, however, it is the result of time, pregnancy, and weight gain/loss.
Placing an implant into tissue that’s not strong enough to support it makes no sense. The plastic surgeon will insert a piece of GalaFLEX mesh beneath the breast implant. It looks and acts like an internal bra. The body responds to the “injury” of the mesh by producing collagen. Over the next 2 years, the GalaFLEX mesh dissolves and the patient is left with good scar tissue that acts as form of long-lasting support.
GalaFLEX – Worth the Money
The thing with any soft tissue support is that it is going to make your breast augmentation, breast lift or breast lift with a breast implant slightly more expensive. There is the cost of the mesh, and the fact that it requires more of the surgeon’s time. However, this cost is completely worth it in the long run.
The goal of any breast surgery is to deliver fuller, more lifted, natural-looking breasts. It makes no sense to place or replace a breast implant into breast tissue that the surgeon knows can not support it properly. The end result will be an unhappy patient in as little as 6 months. For these patients, GalaFLEX mesh will help to insure that their breasts look great for a long time to come.