Ellen Larson was 24 when she first started considering breast reduction
Now 31 and the founder of jewelry brand Darling Devotion, Larson noticed that her back hurt and her posture kept getting worse. But she kept convincing herself that she could keep pushing the procedure forward
That was until the Minnesotan moved to Barcelona, Spain
“I thought, ‘Oh, I’m going to move to Spain and walk around, and I’m going to be so skinny.’ And then I gained a bunch of weight,” Larson told The Looker
The weight gain caused Larson’s breasts to get heavier, weighing over six pounds combined: “I could really tell [my breasts] were dropping a lot, and it was becoming really uncomfortable to work out, to run, to get dressed, to find clothes that I felt confident in.”
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She began researching breast reduction surgery, but to get her optimal results, she needed to lose weight first
Larson turned to the appetite-suppressing GLP-1 medication, starting with an oral form
“I started with Rybelsus in February of 2024. I was like, ‘Maybe I’ll try the pill before I feel comfortable injecting myself,'” she said
A few months later, she switched to Wegovy in hopes of faster results. Over the next year, she lost 25 pounds
“It’s not nothing, but I was kind of, you know, hoping for something a little more dramatic,” Larson said, explaining that she had seen celebrities and influencers online lose weight on the medication in what seemed like overnight
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She switched to Mounjaro in May 2025, and her transformation continued slowly and steadily. When her weight plateaued, Larson decided it was the right time for surgery
Larson considered flying home to the U.S. for the procedure, but ultimately, she felt that flying back and forth would have added an extra layer of stress
She met with eight different doctors for consultations in Barcelona before settling on the one that best suited her
On June 9, Larson underwent a breast reduction and liposuction on her armpits and the sides of her rib cage to address stubborn fat
“I’m sure that almost every woman can understand that the armpit fat just almost never goes away,” she said, adding that she felt the same way about the sides of her ribcage. “I was like, as long as I’m already going under anesthesia, just get rid of it.”
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The operation cost her 10,500 euros (around 12,000 dollars), and everything went mostly well
But because the distance between each of her nipples and her sternum was around 14 inches, her doctor warned Larson that such a significant lift came with risks
“I ended up having to stay an extra night in the clinic because my left nipple almost died,” Larson said, adding, “They had to keep it open for a day, and then the next morning they had to do a really small surgery. It only took like 30 minutes.”
Larson described the episode as a “little hiccup” and said she was more than happy overall. “I couldn’t have asked for a better experience.”
Her recovery process went smoothly. Larson’s mother flew to Barcelona to help her, and the worst she felt was tender around the areas where the liposuction had been performed, and physically exhausted
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The difference in her breasts before and after the surgery was dramatic
“Before, I would gaslight myself into thinking that my chest wasn’t that bad. And I was like, ‘Oh, do I really need the surgery?'” she said, adding, “Now that I’ve taken a before and after picture and put them next to each other, it’s like, ‘Whoa, OK. I needed the surgery.'”
It is still too early to say what her cup size will be, but Larson estimates she went from a 36G to a 36C
“I’m actually really glad I got it done when I did, and I didn’t wait to try to be at the ‘perfect’ weight,” she said. “I still have some weight I want to lose, but I also feel that I’m like about halfway through my ideal weight loss journey. So I felt like it was a good time to just pause, get the surgery, and then I can continue on with my goals afterward.”
Larson shared her journey on Instagram and TikTok and she was pleasantly surprised by the response
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Hundreds of other women who had undergone the same procedure left her comments expressing their excitement for her journey
“It’s obviously so significant for people because even some women who are 60 years old, say, ‘I got it done in 1995, and I’m still so happy I did it, all these years later,'” she said
Many women in the comments described their surgeries as “life-changing” and “the best thing” they had done
Now, almost a month after her surgery, Larson can relate to the commenters
“I’m really, really happy,” she said
Adding, “Finally, I can wear some shirts that I’ve never been able to wear before. I’m excited to go shopping and wear strapless, backless shirts, halter necks, everything like that, that I never could have ever worn before.”
