FAT freezing has become a popular treatment among the stars, helping to tone muscles and eliminate fat.
CoolSculpting is the most well-known company in the industry for the treatment, with stars such as Gemma Collins and Kim Kardashian admitting that they have received it.
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However, 90s supermodel Linda Evangelista claims that the treatment left her “deformed”, telling fans it forced her to step out of the spotlight.
What is CoolSculpting? Is it safe?
What is Coolsculpting exactly?
CoolSculpting is a cosmetic procedure that works to tone the muscles and reduce fat.
Scientists developed the cryolipolysis procedure after studying how fat reacts to frostbite.
WebMD states that the procedure involves freezing fat at a higher temperature than the skin, then cooling it down to the temperature that will kill it. This leaves the skin and surrounding tissues intact.
The doctor will leave the paddles on your skin for around 35 to 90 minutes, during which 20-25% of the targeted fat cell cells are destroyed.
Although it may sound quick, the results can take several months. It is not recommended for weight loss.
However, CoolSculpting has been approved by the FDA.
What are the potential dangers?
Paradoxical adipose Hyperplasia is a serious side effect of CoolSculpting. Although it’s rare, it can be a serious problem.
This means that fat cells actually get larger than they shrink.
Healthline states that it is difficult to understand why this happens, and that it is more common in men.
Paradoxical adipose Hyperplasia can cause cosmetic damage and not physical danger, but it won’t go away on its own.
Those with the following condition should also avoid the procedure:
- cryoglobulinemia
- cold agglutinin disease
- paroxysmal cold hemoglobulinuria
What has Linda Evangelista said about the procedure?
On September 22, 2021, Evangelista took to Instagram to claim the procedure left her “deformed” and “permanently disfigured.”
Evangelista wrote: “Today I took a big step towards righting a wrong that I have suffered and have kept to myself over five years. To all my followers, who may have wondered why I haven’t been working when my peers’ careers are flourishing, I can tell you that Zeltiq’s CoolSculpting procedure caused me to be brutally disfigured.
“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.”
“I have been left, as the media described, ‘unrecognizable’,” She added that she hadn’t been properly warned about the potential side effects.
“I have developed Paradoxical Adipose Hyperplasia or PAH, a risk of which I was not made aware before I had the procedures,” Evangelista continued. “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.”
The model revealed that she is now suing the company.
“With this lawsuit, it is time for me to move forward and get rid of all my shame. I’m going public with my story. This is how I feel.
“I would like to walk out my door with my held held high, despite not looking like myself any longer.”