Former supermodel Linda Evangelista says she has been left "brutally disfigured" after undergoing a cosmetic procedure.
In an interview with People, Evangelista says CoolSculpting procedures left her with bulges of fat on her chin, thighs and in her bra area.
She said a doctor diagnosed her with Paradoxical adipose hyperplasia (PAH), a rare side effect of the procedure which is meant to reduce fat.
"The bulges are protrusions. And they're hard. If I walk without a girdle in a dress, I will have chafing to the point of almost bleeding because it's not like soft fat rubbing, it's like hard fat rubbing," Evangelista told PEOPLE.
Evangelista is suing Zeltiq Aesthetics, the parent company of CoolSculpting.
In a statement to PEOPLE, a representative for the company said the fat-reducing procedure "has been well studied with more than 100 scientific publications and more than 11 million treatments performed worldwide." The representative added that the company provides information about rare side effects like PAH to patients and health care providers.
Evangelista said she no longer looks in the mirror, but she hopes she will soon be able to move forward.
"I hope I can shed myself of some of the shame and help other people who are in the same situation as me," she told PEOPLE. "That's my goal."
