Famous supermodel Linda Evangelista recently told People magazine about her experience of being “disfigured”. She said that she had to live in seclusion for five years because of a rare side effect of CoolSculpting, which caused fat in many parts of her body to harden and swell instead of shrinking normally, and her appearance was seriously changed.
“I can’t hide anymore”
The operation was performed between 2015 and 2016. It was originally intended to reduce body fat, but it caused the so-called “Paradoxical Adipose Hyperplasia” (PAH). Evangelista said that she was once trapped in shame and fear, and she was afraid to face acquaintances and could not continue to work.
“I used to love walking on the catwalk. Now, I am afraid to meet people,” she said frankly. “I can’t live like this anymore. I have been hiding myself and feeling ashamed. I’m tired of it. I have to stand up.”
The doctor’s diagnosis broke her heart
After being diagnosed with PAH, she was in disbelief at what the doctor said.
“I was like, ‘What the hell is this?’ My doctor told me that no matter how much I ate or exercised, it wouldn’t work.”
She tried to fix the problem on her own, even going so far as to almost stop eating. “I thought I was doing something wrong, and I started dieting like crazy and ended up not eating. I felt like I was crazy.”
Less than 1% of patients experience this side effect
According to People, less than 1% of patients who undergo cryolipolysis develop PAH. However, Evangelista is one of those few. She then underwent two full-body liposuction surgeries, but the results were still not satisfactory.
She said that she can no longer hold her arms close to her body, and her posture has changed. She posted photos of her body to show the unusual fat lumps.
“They don’t get any better”
She further described the pain and discomfort in these areas: “They don’t get any better, they are just lumps. If I wear a skirt without a belt, it rubs against me when I walk until I bleed. Because it’s not soft fat, it’s hard lumps.”
Lawsuit is still ongoing, company has not yet responded
Evangelista filed a $50 million lawsuit against Zeltiq Aesthetics Inc., the manufacturer of the cryolipolysis device, arguing that she has been unable to model for many years due to the physical damage caused by the procedure. Zeltiq has not yet responded to it because the lawsuit is still ongoing.
She is still learning to accept herself now
Despite the change in her body image, Evangelista is still trying to face reality. She said that she rarely looks in the mirror now.
“The person in the mirror, does not look like me.”
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