Linda Evangelista’s Journey: Embracing Aging After a Beauty Setback
Linda Evangelista opens up about aging, botched CoolSculpting, and the realities of beauty in the public eye.
Linda Evangelista, once the quintessential supermodel of the ’90s, has reclaimed her narrative on aging and beauty after a devastating experience with a cosmetic procedure.
This article explores Evangelista’s struggles and triumphant return, highlighting her thoughts on Botox, embracing age, and redefining beauty standards.
Unexpected Turn: The CoolSculpting Incident
In 2015, Evangelista sought a non-invasive solution for body contouring called CoolSculpting after discovering a pamphlet at her dermatologist’s office.
Marketed as an alternative to liposuction, CoolSculpting freezes fat cells and promises to sculpt the body, but for Evangelista, the results were catastrophic.
After undergoing seven sessions on her jawline, back, abdomen, and thighs, she developed paradoxical adipose hyperplasia (PAH)—a rare side effect resulting in permanent, hardened, fatty bulges in affected areas.
- Procedure: Seven sessions across multiple body zones
- Side Effect: PAH—hard, fatty, permanent bulges
- Emotional Impact: Shame and self-consciousness, leading to five years of reclusion
She attempted to remedy the issue herself, resorting to severe diets and strenuous exercise. When these failed, her distress grew, even questioning her own sanity.
Coping with Disfigurement: Evangelista’s First Steps Forward
The disfigurement left Evangelista feeling isolated and ashamed, prompting her to withdraw from public life. She realized, “I couldn’t live with it anymore. I wanted to go outside.”
Her story is marked by deep vulnerability—publicly revealing her physical and emotional scars in magazine interviews and social media posts.
In 2021, she filed a lawsuit against Zeltiq Aesthetics (the maker of CoolSculpting) seeking substantial damages, citing the permanent changes to her body and psyche.
Body Image and Mental Health Struggles
- Deep depression and self-doubt following the procedure
- Fear of social interaction and scrutiny
- Therapy became a crucial step toward self-acceptance
- Settled lawsuit with the company in July 2022, marking a legal closure to one chapter
Return to the Public Eye: Redefining Strength and Beauty
Evangelista’s journey back to public life required immense courage and vulnerability.
She participated in a People magazine shoot where her physical changes were on display. “I can’t live like this anymore, in hiding and shame. I just couldn’t live in this pain any longer. I’m willing to finally speak,” she explained.
In subsequent magazine features, she proudly showed her scars—left from repeated surgeries, cancer battles, and the CoolSculpting incident—framing her survival as a victory over adversity.
- Double mastectomy and breast cancer surgeries
- Liposuction and corrective procedures under her chin
- Collapsing lungs, chest tube scars, C-section, keloids
“I lived through that,” she declared. Instead of lamenting her scars, she sees them as battle wounds: reminders that she “won” and survived.
Linda Evangelista on Aging: Embracing Life’s Journey
Evangelista’s attitude toward aging is refreshingly candid, diverging from the pervasive cultural obsession with youth. She explained, “I don’t mind and I never did mind aging. Aging gets us to where we want to be, and that’s for me a long life.”
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She referenced her late friend Kevyn Aucoin, who feared wrinkles but didn’t live long enough to experience them. For Evangelista, the true blessing lies in living, not in perfection. “I want wrinkles—but I Botox my forehead so I am a hypocrite—but I want to grow old. I want to watch my son grow into a fine young man. I just want to stick around.”
- Perspective shift: From fearing age to wishing for longevity
- Personal goals: Watching her son mature, one day becoming a grandmother
- Self-love in aging: “I’m doing the work, trying to get to the place where I like myself, flaws and all.”
Beauty Procedures: Botox, Fillers, and Accepting Change
Despite her harrowing experience with CoolSculpting, Evangelista has not entirely sworn off cosmetic enhancements.
She admits to still receiving Botox injections, a common non-surgical solution for smoothing fine lines and wrinkles.
However, she dissolved facial fillers after determining: “I wasn’t looking like me.”
| Procedure | Her Experience | Current Stance |
|---|---|---|
| CoolSculpting | Severe side effects (PAH), left with lasting scars and bulges | Opposes and warns against |
| Botox | Forehead injections; helps smooth wrinkles, remains part of her routine | Continues to use |
| Fillers | Altered her looks; felt unlike herself | No longer uses |
She accepts that cosmetic procedures have limits and risks, underscoring the importance of feeling like oneself over chasing idealized beauty.
The Reality of Beauty Standards and Social Pressure
Evangelista, whose career was built on visual perfection, acknowledges the immense pressure and contradictions in the world of beauty.
She describes aging gracefully as a “tightwire act”: one must love oneself while enduring cultural pressures, finding power but not revealing the effort.
Today’s technological tools—Facetune, social media filters—only heighten the urge to fight aging’s inevitable effects.
For those watching from afar, her struggles and openness present an alternative narrative: beauty is about resilience, authenticity, and survival.
Lessons Learned: Body Image in the Age of Technology
- Individual worth is not defined by external perfection
- Technological shortcuts (filters, procedures) can cause more harm than healing
- Therapy and self-acceptance matter more than chasing an unattainable image
- Evangelista inspires others to consider their health and happiness over societal standards
Living with Scars: Redefining Identity and Resilience
Evangelista’s candidness about her physical scars, whether from breast cancer surgeries, liposuctions, or CoolSculpting, redefines familiar notions of glamour.
She says, “My double mastectomy, I’m fine with it… There were a lot of surgeries. I’m cool. I’m fine with those. I won. I’m here.”
Her openness is a rallying cry for people to embrace their stories and survival, rather than hide from perceived flaws.
In public interviews, she admits not looking in the mirror for long periods because she didn’t love or even like herself. Today, she actively works to “get comfortable” with her authentic self, striving to love herself, “flaws and all.”
Evangelista’s Message: Embrace Imperfection and Honor Your Journey
Linda Evangelista’s journey reveals that beauty is not about flawlessness but about survival, healing, and honesty.
- Beauty evolves: Looks change, scars appear, but resilience is ageless
- Longevity over perfection: The most important goal is living long and well
- Self-acceptance: “I want to enjoy life, grow old, and watch my son become a man”
- Empowering others: Sharing publicly helps others facing similar struggles
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q: What is CoolSculpting and what went wrong in Linda Evangelista’s case?
A: CoolSculpting is a non-invasive fat reduction procedure that uses cold to eliminate fat cells. Linda Evangelista experienced paradoxical adipose hyperplasia (PAH), a rare side effect resulting in permanent, hard bulges of fat in treated areas, leaving her with significant physical and emotional scars.
Q: Does Linda Evangelista still use Botox and other beauty procedures?
A: Yes, Evangelista still uses Botox injections on her forehead but chooses not to use fillers since she felt they made her look unlike herself.
Q: How does Linda Evangelista view aging now?
A: She embraces aging and sees it as a gift rather than something to fear, expressing a desire for longevity and the opportunity to witness her son’s growth.
Q: How has her CoolSculpting experience impacted her mental health?
A: The ordeal led to a cycle of deep depression, self-doubt, and years of isolation, but therapy and self-acceptance have helped her reclaim confidence and comfort with her appearance.
Q: What is Linda Evangelista’s advice to others regarding beauty?
A: She encourages authenticity, self-acceptance, and focusing on health rather than perfection, warning of the risks associated with some cosmetic procedures and the dangers of harmful beauty standards.
Key Takeaways and Empowering Insights
- No one is immune: Even icons face setbacks—perfection is a myth
- Healing is possible: Therapy, self-care, and time can help reclaim body image
- Age gracefully, live fully: Prioritize longevity and wellness over societal approval
- Be real, not filtered: Resist pressure to use technology or procedures as a fix for natural aging
- Embrace scars: Each one tells a story of survival and strength
Linda Evangelista’s journey is more than a comeback story—it’s an ongoing lesson in self-acceptance, resilience, and redefining beauty on one’s own terms.
References
- https://www.prevention.com/beauty/a44808351/linda-evangelista-aging-says-she-gets-botox-after-failed-cool-sculpting/
- https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/celebrities/2025/04/24/linda-evangelista-coolsculpting-aging-botox-harpers-bazaar/83249944007/
- https://www.harpersbazaar.com/fashion/models/a64444785/linda-evangelista-interview-2025/
- https://www.skindeeplasermd.com/blog/what-happened-to-linda-evangelista-the-ugly-problem-with-coolsculpting/
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