CoolSculpting lawsuits have been filed by people who were disfigured by Paradoxical Adipose Hyperplasia (PAH), a side effect in which hard fatty areas grow under the skin.
What You Can Do & How We Can Help
The Schmidt Firm, PLLC is currently accepting CoolSculpting induced injury cases in all 50 states. If you or somebody you know was diagnosed with Paradoxical Adipose Hyperplasia (PAH) or needed surgery for other side effects of CoolSculpting, you should contact our lawyers immediately for a free case consultation. Please use the form below to contact our Defective Medical Device Litigation Group or call toll free 24 hours a day at (866) 920-0753.
Supermodel Gets Settlement After Filing CoolSculpting Lawsuit
In July 2022, the 57-year-old Canadian supermodel Linda Evangelista agreed to a settlement after filing a $50 million CoolSculpting PAH lawsuit against Allergan and Zeltiq.
In her lawsuit, Evangelista claimed that she was “permanently deformed” and “brutally disfigured” by PAH that was caused by CoolSculpting on her abdomen, chin, thighs, and bra area.
She claims that she was misled about the risks of CoolSculpting. She also claims that she continues to suffer from permanent physical disfigurement, embarrassment, mental anguish, and decreased quality of life due to PAH.
What is CoolSculpting?
CoolSculpting® is a non-surgical, fat-freezing cosmetic procedure that is advertised to remove stubborn fat. CoolSculpting was developed be Zeltiq Aesthetics and approved by the FDA in 2010. In 2017, Zeltiq was purchased by Allergan for $2.48 billion.
How Does It Work?
The CoolSculpting machine squeezes the fat between two paddles and delivers precisely-targeted low temperatures to fat cells under the skin. This freezes the fat cells and causes them to die, so the body can naturally remove the fat deposits over the next few months. Many people undergo multiple CoolSculpting treatments in various areas of their body, which increases their overall risk of side effects.
What is the Problem?
CoolSculpting is advertised as a quick, non-surgical way to remove fat. Instead, many people have been disfigured when the fatty areas that they wanted to shrink suddenly start growing and hardening.
In April 2023, a report in the New York Times warned that doctors are seeing high rates of severe disfigurement from CoolSculpting, in which the fat grows and hardens instead of shrinking.
What is PAH?
Paradoxical Adipose Hyperplasia (PAH) is a disfiguring CoolSculpting side effect in which skin bulges into what some people call a “stick of butter” — a tough, enlarged, rectangular-shaped fatty area in the shape of the CoolSculpting machine.
What is the Risk?
In recent years, studies have suggested that the risk of PAH is significantly higher than the 1 in 20,000 risk that the original manufacturer, Zeltiq, told the FDA.
For example, in 2016, a plastic surgeon named Dr. Jose Rodrigues-Feliz published a study after finding that 1 out of every 128 patients developed PAH after CoolSculpting.
Overall, PAH is estimated to occur in 1 out of every 4,000 CoolSculpting treatment cycles, according to a report published in Science Daily in 2018.
PAH can occur anywhere from 1 to 6 months after CoolSculpting, often after it initially seems like the fat is going away. Studies also show that men have a 3X higher risk of PAH than women, though the risk-factors are still unclear.
Symptoms of Paradoxical Adipose Hyperplasia (PAH)
- Fatty areas treated by CoolSculpting suddenly grow larger
- Tissue is swollen, hard or tough, rectangular-shaped
- Hard lumps or bumps under the skin
- Treatment area looks and feels thicker
- Pain, tenderness, or numbness in the affected area
- Hardened fat does not go away with exercise or dieting
Treatment Options for PAH
PAH is not life-threatening, but there are limited treatment options for removing the unwanted tissue. No amount of dieting or exercising can remove these hardened areas of fatty tissue.
Liposuction is usually the only treatment that can effectively remove the fatty areas, but it is very expensive. For example, liposuction can cost $4,000 to $8,000 in the abdominal area alone, and many people with PAH need liposuction in multiple areas.
Permanent disfigurement is a big risk, because liposuction is not always an option for treating PAH. In many cases, the affected areas are no longer able to be treated with liposuction like they would have been before CoolSculpting permanently damaged the tissue.
Do I have a CoolSculpting Lawsuit?
The Schmidt Firm, PLLC is currently accepting CoolSculpting induced injury cases in all 50 states. If you or somebody you know was diagnosed with Paradoxical Adipose Hyperplasia (PAH) or needed surgery for other side effects of CoolSculpting, you should contact our lawyers immediately for a free case consultation. Please use the form below to contact our Defective Medical Device Litigation Group or call toll free 24 hours a day at (866) 920-0753.
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