Supermodel Linda Evangelista Is Breaking Her Silence About A Plastic Surgery Nightmare That Left Her "Brutally Disfigured"
There was once a time when you couldn't watch a fashion runway or open a magazine without seeing supermodel Linda Evangelista, but for nearly five years, she's been living in seclusion.
In a recent interview with People, Linda opened up about the physical and emotional damage she's suffered after undergoing a plastic surgery procedure known as CoolSculpting.
Linda claims Zeltiq's CoolSculpting — "a popular, FDA-cleared fat-freezing procedure that's been promoted as a noninvasive alternative to liposuction" — left her "permanently deformed" and "brutally disfigured."
"I can't live like this anymore, in hiding and shame," Linda told People. "I just couldn't live in this pain any longer. I'm willing to finally speak."
In September, Linda filed a $50 million lawsuit against CoolSculpting's parent company, Zeltiq Aesthetics Inc., after alleging she developed PAH (Paradoxical Adipose Hyperplasia) after undergoing seven sessions of CoolSculpting between August 2015 and February 2016.
Just three months after receiving the treatments, Linda noticed bulges in her chin, thighs, and bra area. Those areas soon grew, hardened, and eventually went numb. These happened to be the same areas she was trying to shrink.
Thinking she could fix the problem on her own, Linda began dieting and exercising. "I got to where I wasn't eating at all. I thought I was losing my mind."
She eventually decided to see a doctor in 2016, who told her no amount of dieting or exercise would ever fix it.