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The Canadian model, one of the biggest figures
on runways and magazine covers in the 1990s, said in an
Instagram post that she had undergone treatment to reduce fat
some five years ago.
"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
which did the opposite of what it promised,” she wrote in the
posting on Wednesday.
She said she suffered a rare side effect called paradoxical
adipose hyperplasia (PAH) after the procedures, which causes
people to develop a swelling in the areas that were treated.
“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,” she said.
Zeltiq Aesthetics, a unit of Allergan Aesthetics and parent
company AbbVie, did not return a call for comment.
Evangelista filed the lawsuit on Tuesday in New York federal
court against Zeltiq for negligence, misleading advertising and
alleging that the company failed to warn customers of the
possible side effects.
The lawsuit says Evangelista underwent multiple procedures
between 2015 and 2016 to reduce fat on her thighs, abdomen,
back, flanks and chin. Corrective surgery had not worked to fix
the PAH.
She is seeking $50 million in damages for lost income and
emotional distress, saying she was now unemployable as a model
and has not earned anything from modeling since 2016.
(Reporting by Jill Serjeant; Editing by Bill Berkrot)
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