Woman, 25, Reveals Shocking Transformation After Breast Reduction

In a world fixated on breast augmentation, with some women even getting boob jobs on their lunch breaks, one mom has been fighting the opposite battle for years.

Kyla Richardson, a 25-year-old mom from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, told Newsweek: "I've struggled with severe back, neck and shoulder pain and the fight for getting a breast reduction for a decade." Richardson said it's a battle she's fought throughout her childhood and into her teenage and adult years.

According to a report by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS), $16.7 billion was spent on cosmetic procedures in the U.S. in 2020.

Breast augmentation continues to reign among the top five cosmetic surgical procedures a spot it has held since 2006. But more than 96,000 breast reduction procedures were also performed in 2020, including 33,574 aesthetic procedures and 63,746 reconstructive procedures, the ASPS report found.

Richardson worked in healthcare for four years as a certified nursing assistant (CNA) and direct support person (DSP) for adults who are deaf or hard of hearing and for adults on the autism spectrum before becoming a full-time content creator.

She began documenting her breast reduction journey on social media because she "wanted to create a video diary to look back on." The mom recently showcased the vast difference in her breast size since her "life-changing" surgery in May in a viral TikTok video posted on July 27.

A caption shared with the post reads: "Trying on my pre breast reduction T-shirt 2 months post op." The footage shows her putting on a white T-shirt which showed a tracing the lining around her breasts before the operation.

'Major Toll on My Mental Health'

Studies have shown the benefits that breast reduction surgery can have on patients. However, Richardson faced repeated rejection when she asked for one from her teenage years, which took a toll on her mental health.

A study published in the September 2019 issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, the official medical journal of the ASPS, concluded that breast reduction surgery is "a safe and effective procedure for adolescents and young women with pain and other concerns related to excessively large breasts."

Another study published in the November 2019 issue of the same journal found that "women who underwent breast reduction surgery before age 25 continue to report lasting benefits 10 to 30 years following the procedure."

Richardson thought weight loss would make a difference in helping her go down a few bra sizes.

Some insurance companies require potential breast reduction patients to initially try treating their symptoms with a weight loss program, physical therapy or other therapies.

So she began dieting and working out two hours a day, five days a week, "playing sports, dancing, and cutting out pretty much all sugars and carbs," she said.

Despite these efforts, she remained the same size. Richardson said her breasts actually appeared "even larger in comparison to my then small body after all the weight I had lost."

Richardson said she made her first attempt at getting a breast reduction at the age of 15, and again at 16, but was turned down both times.

"This took a major toll on my mental health. I was constantly depressed and in severe pain and no doctor would even consider having a discussion with me about having breast reduction because they thought I was 'too young'," she said.

'Couldn't Take the Constant Pain'

The weight of her large breasts affected Richardson "worse than it ever had before" throughout her entire pregnancy last year, while recovering from having a C-section and "a ministroke."

The mom recalled: "The weight of my large breasts literally sagging and sitting on top of my belly was—I cannot stress enough—so uncomfortable and painful. At that point, I just couldn't take the constant pain anymore and I had to do something about it."

So she revisited the discussion about getting a breast reduction with her new primary care physician "in hopes that this time I would be taken seriously."

After meeting with the doctor, she finally got the referral she'd been waiting for. She was scheduled for a consultation with a surgeon about a breast reduction in December 2022 and had a second consultation in February this year.

Once her insurance company agreed to cover her "breast reduction and lift in full," she was able to schedule the breast reduction for May 24. She had a little over five pounds in total removed from her breasts.

'Extremely Difficult' but 'Life-Changing'

Richardson admitted that her recovery process hasn't been the smoothest, "considering my body has been rejecting the dissolvable stitches and they keep making their way to the surface to try to break through, causing parts of my breast to open back up."

So her recovery has taken longer than expected. "It's not the most comfortable feeling in the world, but I manage," she said .

Another struggle she faced was that it was "extremely difficult not being able to hold my baby at all for the first 6 weeks post op as I had lifting/pushing/pulling restrictions post reduction.

The mom said she was unable to lift more than 10 pounds for the first two weeks after her surgery and no more than 20 pounds for an additional four weeks.

"Although this was very difficult to handle emotionally on top of the physical difficulties during recovery, I was lucky enough to have my mother-in-law and partner to help with our baby and my recovery, which has made the whole recovery process a little less stressful," Richardson said.

Overall, she feels "absolutely amazing and so much lighter" since her operation.

Whenever she's asked to describe the relief she feels from having breast reduction surgery, she says you should imagine tying a 10-pound weight on one end of a rope and another 10-pound weight on the other end.

"Let it hang over your shoulders and try to keep it on for as long as you can, and then take it off—that's what it feels like to have a breast reduction. The instant relief is amazing and life-changing."

Do you have an incredible body transformation story to share? Let us know via life@newsweek.com and your story could be featured on Newsweek.