What is CoolSculpting and what are the dangers?
FAT freezing has become a popular treatment among the stars, helping to tone muscles and eliminate fat.
CoolSculpting is one of the biggest brands in the industry when it comes to the treatment with stars like Kim Kardashian and Gemma Collins admitting to having the treatment.
However, 90s supermodel Linda Evangelista claims that the treatment left her “deformed”, telling fans it forced her to step out of the spotlight.
So what is CoolSculpting and is it safe?
What is Coolsculpting?
CoolSculpting is a brand name for the well known cosmetic procedure that is designed to tone muscles and eliminate fat.
The method used during the procedure is called cryolipolysis and was developed by scientists after studying what happens to fat during frostbite.
According to WebMD, the procedure involves freezing fat and a higher temperature than skin then cooling it to a temperature that will destroy it leaving the skin and surrounding tissues unharmed.
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Doctors end up leaving the paddles on your skin for 35 to 90 minutes in which 20%-25% of the targeted fat cells are then destroyed.
While it might sound like a quick thing, results may not show for a few months and it is not recommended for weight loss and comes with many risks.
CoolSculpting however is FDA-approved.
What are the dangers?
While very rare, a very serious side effect of CoolSculpting is paradoxical adipose hyperplasia.
This means that rather than shrinking fat cells as desired, they actually grow larger in size.
According to Healthline, it is not fully understood why this happens and it is most common in men.
While paradoxical adipose hyperplasia causes cosmetic damage rather than being physically dangerous, it will not go away by itself.
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 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."
"I have been left, as the media described, 'unrecognizable'," she added, explaining that she wasn't properly warned of 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 went on to reveal that she now is suing the company as a result.
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"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 held held high, despite not looking like myself any longer."