Facebook Twitter Instagram Youtube
The New York Banner

Linda Evangelista Shows Off Body For The First Time After A Botched Cosmetic Procedure

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
WhatsApp
Telegram

She's come out of her shell and is ready to flaunt her body.

Linda Evangelista discussed the mental and physical suffering she has had as a result of the botched procedure, in a recent interview with PEOPLE. The supermodel stated she had been “permanently deformed” and “brutally disfigured,” after having the fat-reduction treatment CoolSculpting late last year.

Photo of the Remarkables mountain range in Queenstown, New Zealand.

“I loved being up on the catwalk. Now I dread running into someone I know,” she told the magazine. “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.”

In September, Linda filed a lawsuit against CoolSculpting’s parent firm, Zeltiq Aesthetics Inc., stating that she has been unable to work after receiving seven CoolSculpting treatments in a dermatologist’s clinic from August 2015 to February 2016.

She started to observe bulges around her chin, thighs, and bra region three months after having the CoolSculpting treatment done. The spots she wanted to treat became bigger and harder, until they went numb all of a sudden.

“I tried to fix it myself, thinking I was doing something wrong,” she said. “I got to where I wasn’t eating at all. I thought I was losing my mind.”

Photo of the Remarkables mountain range in Queenstown, New Zealand.
Linda was diagnosed with paradoxical adipose hyperplasia four months after her last session. PAH is an uncommon adverse effect of CoolSculpting in which the fatty tissue grows rather than shrinks.

“No amount of dieting, and no amount of exercise was ever going to fix it,” the doctor told her at that time and when she notified CoolSculpting about her PAH, the company offered to pay for liposuction to set things right.

However, the model indicates in her lawsuit that the night before her liposuction treatment, she was advised that the procedure would only be covered if she signed a confidentiality agreement with Coolsculpting’s parent firm, Zeltiq Aesthetics Inc., in which she declined.
In 2016, she had the first of two full-body liposuction operations that she claims she paid for. She had to wear compression garments, girdles, and a chin strap for eight weeks after the operation to keep the PAH at bay. Even after a second liposuction in July 2017, Linda claims it came back gradually.

“It wasn’t even a little bit better,” she explained. “The bulges are protrusions. And they’re hard. If I walk without a girdle in a dress, I will have chafing to the point of almost bleeding. Because it’s not like soft fat rubbing, it’s like hard fat rubbing.”

Photo of the Remarkables mountain range in Queenstown, New Zealand.

She also mentioned that she can no longer lay her arms flat at her sides, which has affected her posture. “I don’t think designers are going to want to dress me with that sticking out of my body,” she says, motioning to the rectangular PAH beneath her arm.

“I don’t look in the mirror,” she added. “It doesn’t look like me.”

Following her tragic story, Linda is still working on embracing her new physique and loving herself. She indicated that she opted to flaunt her figure and share her story in order to encourage other ladies who had faced similar challenges.

“I hope I can shed myself of some of the shame and help other people who are in the same situation as me,” she said. “That’s my goal. I’m not going to hide anymore.”

Reactions to Linda Evangelista Shows Off Body For The First Time After A Botched Cosmetic Procedure

If our society wasn't so fatphobic and ageist, this shit wouldn't be a thing. It's so sad.

@lachristagreco

i just keep thinking about this shit. she was internationally admired as one of the most beautiful women in the world and still was pushed by societys standards to do this.

@_blueve

Still my favorite supermodel of all time. #LindaEvangelista

@bravogurl3

We Still Love You Linda No Matter What. This Takes Great Courage To Speak Up. #LindaEvangelista ❤️❤️❤️👑👑👑👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

@mahardhikasptr

🧵 This is such a sad story and it'll be so easy for people to say 'that's what you get for being vain,' but women are celebrated or shamed for their looks more than literally anything else they offer to the world. Hands down.

@HeidiStevens13

It takes so much for people to open up about being less than perfect physically in any case but Linda literally made a living off of people believing she was one of the most beautiful women in the world, this is brave and the people dismissing it show that if someone doesn't have

@bbylov1221

read this morning. so sad. i hope she’s able to view herself the way she wants again.

@WAPANES3

Sending you positivity, strength, and wishing you self love… We all struggle with our perception of ourself worth… it is lifechanging when we decide to put one foot in front of the other n decide to live our best life.. you are on your way!

@EllenMcGuigan14

I think she looks awesome but I 100% get that how you view/judge yourself naked in front of a mirror overrides what others think and I wasn’t a supermodel. I hope she finds resolution and peace because feeling shitty about yourself is a dangerous road to travel.

@thepizzasnob13

It just goes to show, no matter how beautiful the world thinks you are, self love is something that is even more powerful and RARE. Thank you for sharing this story but I still wonder how this story will help the average woman who lacks wealth and convenience... #LindaEvangelista

@solequeen2020