Linda Evangelista says she was left 'deformed' after cosmetic procedure
23 September 2021, 21:51
Supermodel Linda Evangelista has said she has been left "permanently deformed" after undergoing a cosmetic procedure.
The catwalk star said she suffered an adverse reaction to a fat freezing procedure called cryolipolysis, which led to her developing paradoxical adipose hyperplasia (PAH).
The complication sees fatty tissue grow instead of shrink in response to the freezing of fat cells.
In an online post, she said she would be taking legal action to 'rid herself of the shame', with the procedure having sent her into "a cycle of deep depression" that made her a recluse.
The 56-year-old said on Instagram: "Today I took a big step towards righting a wrong that I have suffered and have kept to myself for over five years.
"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... [a procedure] which did the opposite of what it promised.
"It increased, not decreased, my fat cells and left me permanently deformed even after undergoing two painful, unsuccessful, corrective surgeries.
"I have been left, as the media has described, 'unrecognisable.'
"I have developed Paradoxical Adipose Hyperplasia or PAH, a risk of which I was not made aware before I had the procedures.
"PAH has not only destroyed my livelihood, it has sent me into a cycle of deep depression, profound sadness, and the lowest depths of self-loathing. In the process, I have become a recluse.
"With this lawsuit, I am moving forward to rid myself of my shame, and going public with my story.
"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."
