UPDATE: Supermodel Linda Evangelista Reveals She’s Been ‘Permanently Deformed’ After A Botched Procedure

Linda Evangelista, who is known for being one of the most famous supermodels of the 1990s, dropped a shocking bomb on Wednesday when she revealed that she’s been out of the spotlight for the last five years because a botched cosmetic procedure left her “permanently disfigured.”

Evangelista, 56, opened up to her fans to explain her “reclusive” behavior on Instagram.

Evangelista Speaks Out

“Today I took a big step towards righting a wrong that I have suffered and have kept to myself for over five years,” Evangelista wrote. “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.”

“[It] 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,” she added. “I have been left, as the media described, ‘unrecognizable.”

She’s suing the company behind CoolSculpting, the non-surgical cosmetic procedure which is supposed to decrease a person’s fat cells.

Evangelista Alleges She Wasn’t Properly Warned About Side Effects

Evangelista went on to claim that she was not adequately warned of the potential side effects that come with the CoolSculpting procedure.

“I have developed Paradoxical Adipose Hyperplasia or PAH, a risk of which I was not made aware before I had the procedures,” she stated. “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.” Evangelista concluded. “I’m so tired of living this way. I would like to walk out my door with my held held high, despite not looking like myself any longer.”

She says she’s not finished sharing her experience.

Here is the most recent image she posted on Instagram of the cover of People 

You can listen to her talk about starting out in fashion and she discusses how she is deformed.

Background On This Procedure And PAH

Daily Mail reported that during a cryolipolysis procedure, “a device that’s usually set below freezing temperature is applied to fat deposits, which causes cell death in the fat tissue. The body can then pass the dead fat cells.”

Paradoxical Adipose Hyperplasia, which is what Evangelista developed, is a rare condition that can stem from these types of procedures in which adipose tissue (or body fat) increases, even though they typically decrease.

Healthline reported that while these increased fat deposits aren’t harmful, they also do not usually go away on their own as time goes on.

PAH is “very rare” and is most common among men who get this surgery, but women can sometimes develop it as well. 

This comes one year after Sarah Michelle Gellar of “Buffy The Vampire Slayer” fame was named as CoolSculpting ambassador. 

“I had had such a positive experience with the procedure [Coolsculpting®] (and the results),” Gellar said at the time. “I was able to target those specific areas with an incredible result and with only an hour of my time (I even managed to get through a few chapters in the book I was reading) so you know that’s a win for me.”

It’s sad that Evangelista has spent so many years suffering in reclusively due to this botched cosmetic surgery.

Perhaps her story can serve as a warning that in the end, plastic surgery just isn’t worth it. 

Editor’s Note: This story has been updated to include more images of Linda Evangalista from Instagram as well as an inclusion of a podcast with People.