GalaFLEX® Soft Tissue Support

A smart way to lift, support & strengthen thin or sagging tissues for beautiful, long-lasting plastic surgery results

galaflex for breast implant revision and breast lift
As we age, our skin and soft tissues get thinner and weaker, leading to a number of unwelcome changes: sagging jowls, drooping breasts, or lax, crepey skin on our face and body. Gravity doesn’t do anything to help.

Procedures such as facelift or breast lift surgery can help correct these issues, but your tissues need to be strong enough to get a great result with surgery—and to continue looking beautiful for years to come. If your tissues are too thin or weak, your results may look fabulous for a little while but may eventually stretch and sag again, much more quickly than nature intended.

The good news is that our board certified plastic surgeons have a solution: the GalaFLEX® Scaffold.

What is GalaFLEX?

GalaFLEX is a tissue support system that not only adds instant support and shape to thin or weakened tissues, but also helps your skin and soft tissue cells regenerate and rebuild collagen and elastin so they come back even stronger than before.

Our plastic surgeons can insert GalaFLEX during a cosmetic surgery procedure to act as “scaffolding,” helping to achieve immediate shape and support to better “hold up” thin or overstretched tissues. The special trellis-like pattern of GalaFLEX also encourages your natural tissue to grow back around it, often even stronger and thicker than before. As a result, your results will be enhanced after surgery—and they will last longer too.

GalaFLEX is made from a naturally derived, biocompatible substance that is strong, thin and flexible. After surgery, you won’t be able to see or feel the mesh underneath your skin.

How GalaFLEX can help

GalaFLEX comes in different shapes and sizes that our plastic surgeons can use during a variety of procedures to reinforce thinning tissues and enhance results:

At LJC, our plastic surgeons use GalaFLEX primarily for breast procedures. They find GalaFLEX particularly useful for providing extra support during breast lift and breast reduction, as shown in the patient below.

Before & after breast reduction surgery using GalaFLEX to support the natural breast tissues. View more photos of this patient.

GalaFLEX can also be used help correct breast augmentation complications such as breast implant bottoming out, symmastia, or visible rippling.

Before & after breast implant revision surgery using GalaFLEX to repair the right inframammary fold. View more photos of this patient.

Once GalaFLEX has done its job, it goes away

Unlike other surgical meshes that remain in the body indefinitely, GalaFLEX is made with a natural substance called poly-4-hydroxybutyrate (P4HB™). This strong and durable substance is designed to dissolve after your body has regenerated new tissue cells, collagen and elastin in response to the GalaFLEX scaffold.

On average, soft tissue grows back to a 1mm thickness (that’s about the thickness of a dime) in just 6 weeks and 3mm thick after 6 months. By one year out, your skin and soft tissue have the strength they need without the GalaFLEX, and it begins to break down. Within 18 to 24 months, your body has completely resorbed the GalaFLEX in the form of water and carbon dioxide.

Will I need GalaFLEX or another surgical scaffold?

GalaFLEX can be incredibly useful for patients with very thin or stretched skin and underlying tissues to achieve optimal results during breast surgery (particularly with breast lift or breast implant revision) as well as facial rejuvenation procedures. However, not everyone needs the extra tissue support, and some breast surgery patients may benefit from a more permanent option, such as Strattice. Your plastic surgeon will discuss their recommendations with you during your complimentary consultation at LJC.

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