Skip to main content

Linda Evangelista’s Fat Freezing Disaster

Former supermodel Linda Evangelista hit the headlines in September after suing Zeltiq for a bad experience with CoolSculpting. 
There was widespread press coverage and I had patients mentioning her story in clinic. So I am writing this piece to explain what happened, and to reassure patients that the risk of PAH is extremely low. 

I also want to discuss complications / risk in aesthetic procedures in general. The bottom line is I want to be open and honest with patients, so I can build up their trust in me. 

So let's delve into Linda Evangelista's fat-Freezing disaster. 




By now, you’ve probably seen the news reports about supermodel Linda Evangelista’s unfortunate experience with fat-freezing. Since I’ve had patients asking me about it in clinic, let’s talk about it... First, here’s what we know. 


Around 5 years ago, Linda underwent a fat-freezing procedure, which is commonly used to get rid of stubborn fat. We’re not sure exactly which area she had treated, but it seems likely it was under her chin. Unfortunately, she developed a condition called Paradoxical Adipose Hyperplasia. This is a known side-effect where fat-freezing does the opposite of what’s intended... Instead of shrinking the fat in the treated area, the fat cells actually thicken and expand - causing a firm mass of tissue under your skin. In pictures, her face does appear quite swollen. Linda says she was left unrecognizable and that this has sent her into a cycle of depression and isolation. She is now suing Zeltiq, the maker of the CoolSculpting machine. 


So first of all, my heart goes out to Linda Evangelista. She has undoubtedly gone through a very harrowing experience. It’s terrible when a treatment has the opposite effect to the one you want and makes you look and feel worse, not better. 

In her case, she depended on her appearance to make her living and so this unwelcome change must have been doubly difficult for her. It’s important to understand that PAH is extremely rare - it occurs in just 0.0051% of cases and is typically more common in male patients (we don’t know why). Given that millions of people get fat-freezing each year, we’re talking about a tiny handful of cases globally. (And by the way, this isn’t just a side-effect of CoolSculpting; It can occur with any fat-freezing technique.) Linda Evangelista claims that she wasn’t aware of the risk when she had her procedure. 

 It’s possible, especially given that she was treated 5 years ago, when awareness of PAH was lower. 
 But at our Aesthetic Medical Clinics we always discuss the risks before treatment, even if those risks are minute, so you can make well-informed decisions. 

There are always risks whenever you treat your body - this is no different. It does, however, underscore the importance of going only to reputable, medically-qualified providers like us, who can help you deal with complications in the unlikely event that they occur. 

Patients who experience PAH have a few choices. They can do nothing - and sometimes they prefer that. Or we can excise the fatty cells through surgery or lipo. 
Unfortunately, Linda Evangelista claims that she went through two corrective surgeries that were both unsuccessful, but again that’s extremely rare. 
Sadly, she seems to be a victim of terrible bad luck. 

Ultimately, I believe strongly in fat-freezing. Our patients have had wonderful, life-changing results with it and it continues to be one of our most popular treatments. I’ve had it myself. It has been studied extremely extensively in multiple clinical studies and the risk of complications is extremely small. 

But if you have stubborn fat you want to get rid of and would prefer other options, we have those for you too - just ask! (Although of course they come with their own risks...) And if you have any further questions about fat-freezing and what happened to Linda Evangelista, please do drop me a line or ask me in clinic. I’m happy to talk to you about it. 


DR SUTINA NORDIN
FB : DrSutinaNordin
IG : drsutina_aesthetic_art
Email drsutina@enhanzeclinic.com
www.enhanzeclinic.com


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Laser Vagina Rejuvenation

Our V2LR laser handpiece is finally here. Had a revision session with Prof Zerbinatti in the clinic on 3rd Jan. Imagine, for those of us who wish to "rejuvenate" ourselves can do so now with ease and painlessly. Just make an appointment with the clinic, come in 30min earlier so a topical numbing cream can be applied, and have the procedure conducted and completed in 1/2 hr,tops. What will you get ? Well, internally the lasering will "puff"up the mucosa of the vaginal wall by collagen remodeling, as well as improve sensations. Externally the procedure can lighten the skin color, increase sensitivity as well tighten surrounding area. ALl these in just 3 sessions! Prof Zerbinatti claims that in his clinic this is currently the most popular procedure among women in their 30s and 40s. I am very excited about this procedure. I know a lot of women out there do not have any problems, and therefore do not require any surgical LVR but would like to just improve. Like everyhti...
50 comments
Read more

Loose Weight in 3weeks !

Finally found a quick fix to a long term problem! This method not only can reduce the excess weight fast and permanently, it does this by burning the reserved stubborn fat in the body and not the structural fat which easily returns with a vengeance once a program is over. In summary, this "Enhanced" Weight Loss Program aims to : 1. Loose excess weight esp from stubborn fats 2. Increase and Reset Basal Metabolic Rate to a higher level and by doing the #1 and #2, able to 3. Maintain the weight loss forever! ( don't we all wish for this?) . With all this in mind, I decided to embark on this program myself. It is Day 8 today. This protocol should reduce my weight from 0.5 to 1.0lb per day. I only need to follow a special diet plan and take the medication daily. Total loss expected if all progresses accordingly will be 6 to 9kg (or upto 15lbs). I started with 64.8kg on Day1, went up to 64.9kg on Day2 and have progressively lost between 0.3 to 0.7kg daily since. Today I am at 6...
84 comments
Read more

Automated Hair Transplantation

Finally, something to write! After returning from Italy after the V2LR training, I became interested in a new technology for Hair Transplantation called the S.A.F.E.R. techniquee using the French made PUNCH Matic machine. Traditionally, hair transplantion is a very time consuming process taking around 6 to 8 hours of tedious and meticulous work. Because of this, many Drs and Surgeons prefer not to conduct this procedure in their practice. Also the old technique gave only 60-80% follicular survival rate and for someone who is losing his/her hair, losing more doner hair can be unacceptable. I began to like the idea of this new technique when I found out that I do not have to cut a few strips of scalp skin from the back of the head to donate the follicle unit(FU). With the SAFER technique I only vacuum individual hair follicle out without cutting the skin. This makes is very much less invasive and less complications. Survival of the follicular unit is also much higher. I also...
31 comments
Read more