Supermodel Linda Evangelista has graced nearly 700 magazine covers since she began working 30 years ago. But in recent years, the 56-year-old has evaded the spotlight after suffering permanent disfigurement and emotional scarring as a result of a CoolSculpting complication known as paradoxical adipose hyperplasia, or PAH. In an exclusive interview with People magazine, Evangelista reveals how her traumatic experience with the cosmetic procedure has led her to lose her sense of self and become agoraphobic. “I can’t live like this anymore, in hiding and shame. I just couldn’t live in this pain any longer. I’m willing to finally speak,” she told the publication. She hopes to warn other people about the potential risks associated with the noninvasive body contouring treatment by going public with her story.
Related: CoolSculpting vs. Emsculpt: Which Is Better for You?
CoolSculpting is FDA-approved to freeze and kill stubborn fat cells—on the abdomen, flanks, bra area, inner and outer thighs, back, upper arms, and banana rolls—without damaging neighboring skin, nerves, vessels, and muscles. The treatment has a 79% Worth It Rating and costs $2,475 on average; many patients need two or three sessions, spaced several weeks apart.
PAH is a complication documented in 1 out of every 4,000 treatment cycles, based on the manufacturer’s data, but more recent studies demonstrate a 1 in 138 incidence. In fact, some doctors believe PAH is severely underreported by providers, who downplay its rate of occurrence. This potential adverse effect occurs after cryolipolysis (the use of cold temperatures to break down fat). In these instances,when cooling is used to damage and destroy subcutaneous fat cells, the fat in targeted areas expands and hardens permanently. According to a study published in Aesthetic Surgery Journal, risk factors for developing the condition are genetic predisposition and using the large applicators of older CoolSculpting models—PAH also occurs more often in men than in women.
Linda Evangelista CoolSculpting photos
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Evangelista spoke out about PAH’s devastating effects on her mental health, describing how she’d initially believed she was responsible for her body’s bulging fat. She had received seven rounds of CoolSculpting between August 2015 and February 2016. Within three months of completing her treatments, she noticed protruding fat under her chin, on her thighs, and in her bra area. “The bulges are protrusions. And they’re hard. If I walk without a girdle in a dress, I will be chafing to the point of almost bleeding. Because it’s not like soft fat rubbing, it’s like hard fat rubbing,” she explains. “I don’t think designers are going to want to dress me with that,” she added, revealing a rectangular-shaped mound under her arm. She elaborated on her emotional ordeal on the People Every Day podcast, tearfully saying, “I tried to fix it myself, thinking I was doing something wrong. So I exercised more, I dieted more…. There was quite a long period where I didn’t eat anything.”
Linda Evangelista’s PAH diagnosis
When she saw her doctor in June 2016, she was diagnosed with PAH. She ultimately underwent two full-body liposuctions to remove the bulges because unfortunately, eight weeks after the first procedure, the lumps returned, and she was forced to undergo a second surgery in July 2017. Since then, the unsightly mounds have returned—and become inoperable keloids. “I loved being up on the catwalk. Now I dread running into someone I know,” she tells People. “I don’t look in the mirror [now]. It doesn’t look like me,” she adds.
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Evangelista says she wishes she’d never gone through with the procedure, telling the publication, “I always knew I would age. And I knew that there are things a body goes through. But I just didn’t think I would look like this.” In September, the supermodel filed a $50 million lawsuit against Zeltiq Aesthetics Inc., the manufacturer of CoolSculpting devices, alleging that she has been unable to work, due to her disfigurement following multiple rounds of treatment. Evangelista is doing her part in cautioning prospective patients, to make sure they understand all the potential side effects that may occur during elective procedures—no matter how unlikely those may be. In addition, she wishes to regain some confidence and inspire other patients to stop hiding by publicly acknowledging what happened to her: “I hope I can shed some of the shame and help other people who are in the same situation as me. That’s my goal.”
Update 2/23/2022: A representative for CoolSculpting provided this statement to RealSelf: “CoolSculpting® was first cleared by the FDA in 2010 for noninvasive subcutaneous fat reduction and is now indicated for treatment across 9 areas of the body. CoolSculpting® has been well studied with more than 100 scientific publications and more than 11 million treatments performed worldwide. Rare reported side effects can include Paradoxical Hyperplasia (PH), severe pain, or late-onset pain and continue to be well-documented in the CoolSculpting® information for patients and health care providers and sample consent form given to health care providers to use with patients.”
