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Supermodel Linda Evangelista, who became famous in the 1990s, said she was “brutally disfigured” and became “unrecognizable” after a cosmetic body contouring procedure that turned her into a recluse.
Inside An Instagram post on Wednesday, referring to filing the lawsuit, said he had taken “a huge step forward to right a wrong that I have suffered for and kept to myself for over five years.”
“To my followers who are wondering why I didn’t work out while my friends’ careers flourished, it was because I was brutally disfigured by the CoolSculpting procedure, which did the exact opposite of what Zeltiq promised.”
Ms Evangelista, 56, said she developed it after the fat freezing procedure. paradoxical fat hyperplasia, a side effect in which patients develop hard tissue masses in the treatment areas.
She said the aesthetic procedure was “permanently deformed even after she had two painful, failed, corrective surgeries.” He said he wasn’t told about the risk.
“PAH not only destroyed my livelihood, it sent me into a cycle of deep depression, deep sadness, and minimal self-loathing,” she wrote. “In the process, I became a recluse.”
Known as one of the top five supermodels of the 1990s, Ms. Evangelista detailed her story on Instagram, where she has 912,000 followers and thousands of comments or support. His story also received wide coverage in international and national media outlets.
Ms. Evangelista filed a lawsuit against Zeltiq Estetik A.Ş. in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York on Tuesday. The lawsuit said it sought $50 million in damages for distress and job loss, promotions and public appearances.
Company representatives did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Thursday. Ms. Evangelista’s lawyer was not immediately available for comment.
The lawsuit said Ms Evangelista received seven treatments from August 2015 to February 2016 to break up fat cells on her abdomen, sides, back and bra area, inner thighs and chin. Within a few months she developed “hard, swollen, painful masses in these areas under her skin” and was diagnosed with PAH in June 2016.
The filing said his quality of life, career, and body were “destroyed after he was permanently deformed in 2016,” and many corrective surgery attempts have followed.
“Miss. Evangelista enjoyed a wildly successful and lucrative modeling career from 1984 to 2016, until she was permanently injured and disfigured by Zeltiq’s CoolSculpting System,” she said.
The lawsuit accused the company of “deliberately hiding” or “not warning enough” about the risks, and said Ms Evangelista developed depression and a fear of going out.
The lawsuit said Ms Evangelista had full-body liposuctions done in 2016 and 2017 after being diagnosed by a doctor referred to her by Zeltiq, but the procedures were unsuccessful and resulted in scarring.
“Miss. Evangelista was promised a more contoured look; instead, the target fat cells increased in number and size and formed hard, bulging masses under her skin,” she said.
According to CoolSculpting, its procedure has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of visible fat protrusions.
In response to questions, the FDA said in an email that it could not comment on the case, but said it “is committed to ensuring that medical devices are safe and effective, and that patients can be fully informed when making personal health decisions.” It said it monitors reports of adverse events from consumers after a device is released and will “take action when appropriate.”
Cryolipolysis, the name of the non-surgical fat freezing procedure, uses cold temperature to break down fat cells, according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.
It is mostly used by patients who want to reduce a particular fat bulge that they cannot reduce by other means. Generally, the area of interest is “vacuumed” into the cavity of an applicator where it is exposed to cold temperature.
The surgeons’ association said the complication rate is low, and that less than 1 percent of patients may develop paradoxical fat hyperplasia, an unexpected increase in the number of fat cells. Society said the side effect is more common in men than women.
Ms Evangelista also said that the public scrutiny of her appearance hurt her emotionally. “I was left as ‘unrecognizable’ as the media described it,” he said.
Jonah E. Bromwich contributing reporting.
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