Model Linda Evangelista talks about botched-up fat freezing

Former supermodel Linda Evangelista, who ruled the fashion scene in the 1990s and has graced over 700 fashion magazine covers, took to her social media to open up about a botched-up fat reduction procedure that made her retreat from the public eye for five years.

Evagelista, 56, was one of the most popular faces of the 1990s on the fashion catwalks, but became a recluse soon after the botched-up fat-freezing treatment. 

“To my followers who have wondered why I have not been working while my peers’ careers have been thriving, the reason is that I was brutally disfigured by Zeltiq’s CoolSculpting procedure which did the opposite of what it promised,” said Evangelista. She has been out of the public eye for over five years now.

She claimed that a routine and popular fat-reduction procedure called CoolSculpting made her permanently deformed and took a toll on her emotionally. She described herself as ‘unrecognisable’ after the procedure and claimed she was permanently deformed.

“It increased, not decreased, my fat cells and left me permanently deformed even after undergoing two painful, unsuccessful, corrective surgeries.” Soon after this, she was filled with self-loathing, she claims.

After the procedure, she developed paradoxical adipose hyperplasia, commonly referred to as PAH , a side-effect of such procedures. Evangelista underwent a non-surgical procedure that uses cold temperature to reduce fat deposits in certain areas of the body.

The painful episode scarred her for a long time, but she now claims she is trying hard to move forward and ‘rid myself of my shame’. “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.”

As soon as the post went up, celebrities including Gwyneth Paltrow threw her weight behind the former supermodel.

“You are and always will be a supermodel, now adding super role model of courage to your glorious resume. I love you.”