Linda Evangelista has revealed her first set of images after being out of the public spotlight for over five years due to a cosmetic fat-freezing procedure that left her “brutally scarred” and “permanently malformed.” In a new cover story for People magazine, the model appeared for a fresh picture and spoke all about her operation. She revealed:
“I had a great time walking the catwalk. Now I’m afraid I’ll run into someone I know. I can’t go on living in shame and concealing any longer. I couldn’t bear the agony any longer. I’m ready to say anything.”
Between August 2015 and February 2016, Linda Evangelista had seven CoolSculpting treatments. Unfortunately, several portions of her body were left utterly disfigured instead of receiving the intended alterations. In September 2021, the 56-year-old allegedly sued Zeltiq Aesthetics Inc., CoolSculpting’s parent business. She sought $50 million in damages, claiming that she could not find a job due to the botched metamorphosis.
A Look into Linda Evangelista’s health troubles after the CoolSculpting process.
CoolSculpting (also known as fat-freezing) is a non-invasive FDA-approved technique that may be used as an alternative to liposuction and aids in cryolipolysis and fat reduction. Linda Evangelista began having CoolSculpting cosmetic procedures performed on her chin, thighs, and bustline in 2015 to decrease the regions surrounding her chin, thighs, and bustline. Three months later, she saw the same places expanding, stiffening, and becoming numb.
In June 2016, the model went to see a dermatologist and was diagnosed with Paradoxical Adipose Hyperplasia (PAH), an uncommon adverse effect in CoolSculpting patients: the fat is removed by freezing at temperatures ranging from 11 to +5 °C and inducing subcutaneous fat tissue death. According to Evangelista, she began eating and exercising following the treatment. Still, she could not resolve the reoccurring issues: “I attempted to repair it myself, certain that I was doing something incorrectly. I came to the point where I wasn’t eating at all. I felt I was going insane.”
“I was sobbing and saying, ‘I haven’t eaten, and I’m famished.’ ‘What am I doing incorrectly?’ … And he informed me that no amount of dieting or exercise will ever heal it.”
According to reports, just one percent of CoolSculpting patients have post-PAH, which causes thickening of the afflicted fat tissue. Alan Matarasso, a plastic surgeon and professor at New York’s Northwell School of Medicine, described the situation to the publication:
“Patients come in to have something decreased, only to have it increased. And the issue with PAH is that it may not go away in certain cases. In many cases, the damaged regions are no longer suitable for liposuction as they would have been in the first place.”
Linda Evangelista also had two liposuction treatments to alleviate her health issue, but the outcomes were inconclusive. The model said that she had to use compression gear such as girdles and a chin strap for eight weeks to keep her condition from returning, but the PAH returned even after the second liposuction in July 2017:
“It wasn’t even marginally improved. Protrusions are what the bulges are. And they’re difficult. If I walk in a dress without a girdle, I will chafe to the point of bleeding. Because it’s not gentle fat rubbing, but firm fat rubbing.”
Her ailment has also altered her posture, as she can no longer put her arms squarely at her sides, according to the Ontario native:
“I don’t believe designers will want to outfit me in that… I don’t look at myself in the mirror.” It doesn’t look like me at all.”
In her complaint against Zeltiq, the model claimed that after learning of her PAH diagnosis, CoolSculpting promised to “make it right” and offered to pay liposuction. However, she said the firm told her a day before her operation that they would only reimburse her bills if she signed a confidentiality agreement. Evangelista was forced to pay for her process when she turned down the offer.
During the sad conversation, the model also revealed that she had lost her identity while dealing with health issues:
“I don’t recognize myself physically, but I also don’t identify myself as a person. She’s kind of gone [supermodel Linda Evangelista].”
However, the model said she wanted to break her silence and share her tragedy with the world to assist those in the same circumstance as her.
Highlights of Linda Evangelista’s career.
Linda Evangelista is one of the most fabulous supermodels of all time. She appeared on over 700 magazine covers and was recognized as one of the world’s most renowned ladies from the late 1980s to the early 1990s. The Canadian model was recognized as the muse of fashion industry titans such as Chanel designer Karl Lagerfeld, Italian designer Gianni Versace, and famous photographer Steven Meisel.
Anna Wintour, editor-in-chief of Vogue, told People that ” “The model outclassed Linda.” Evangelista started her career in the fashion world in 1984, when she signed with Elite Model Management, and she never considered a profession other than modeling. That same year, she had her first huge break when she appeared on the cover of L’Officiel. She has been on the covers of several worldwide journals, including Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, Cosmopolitan, Glamour, Elle, W, Marie Claire, Allure, Time, Interview, Mademoiselle, and Rolling Stone.
She has also posed for Dolce & Gabbana, Ralph Lauren, Yves Saint Laurent, Valentino, Giorgio Armani, Thierry Mugler, Calvin Klein, Max Mara, Perry Ellis, and Herve Leger, as well as Visa, American Express, Pizza Hut, De Beers, and Elizabeth Arden. In 2008, Linda Evangelista was chosen “The Greatest Supermodel of All Time” by the viewers of the television program Fashion File.
