Supermodel Linda Evangelista, one of the most in-demand models of the 1990s, has shockingly claimed the reason that she has withdrawn from the public eye for the past several years is because she was left “brutally disfigured” after a CoolSculpting treatment—a popular nonsurgical procedure that uses cold temperature to break down fat cells. The 56-year-old said the treatment made her “unrecognizable” after it “increased, not decreased, my fat cells and left me permanently deformed even after undergoing two painful, unsuccessful, corrective surgeries,” in an Instagram post Wednesday evening.
Evangelista indicated that she would be filing suit against Allergan, which markets and licenses CoolSculpting devices, claiming that she developed paradoxical adipose hyperplasia (PAH), a “very rare but serious side effect” of cryolipolysis. She claimed she was not made aware of the risks ahead of her treatment around five years ago. “PAH has not only destroyed my livelihood, it has sent me into a cycle of deep depression, profound sadness, and the lowest depths of self-loathing,” she added. “In the process, I have become a recluse… I’m so tired of living this way. I would like to walk out my door with my head held high, despite not looking like myself any longer.”
