Linda Evangelista Back on Runway for First Time Since Being 'Disfigured'

Linda Evangelista marked her return to the runway after 15 years with a surprise cameo at Fendi's New York Fashion Week over the weekend.

The 57-year-old supermodel has shied away from the public eye after a cosmetic procedure left her "brutally disfigured" and "unrecognizable," but on Friday she did not hold back when she walked the catwalk and received a standing ovation while taking a final bow alongside greats Marc Jacobs, Kim Jones, Delfina Delettrez, and Silvia Venturini Fendi.

Last month, Evangelista graced the cover of British Vogue but noted in her interview with the outlet that her face, jaw, and neck had been pulled back with tape and elastics for the photoshoot. She also wore an oversized hat with a headscarf to cover her injuries.

Evangelista opened up about how she tried to regain her former appearance after suffering a rare side effect from having fat cells removed in a procedure known as cryolipolysis. Several weeks after the treatment, her face, and other parts of her body, began to protrude.

A doctor diagnosed her with paradoxical adipose hyperplasia, a side effect of the treatment that occurs when the treated area becomes firmer and forms an enlarged mass under the skin. She tried various procedures and treatments but none was successful in rectifying the damage done.

"I have incisions all over my body. I have had stitches, I have worn compression garments under my chin, I've had my entire body tightly girdled for eight weeks — nothing helped," she said.

Last year Evangelista decided to go public with her condition on Instagram. In a statement, she said she was "brutally disfigured" by Zeltig's CoolSculpting procedure, which left her "unrecognizable." She also announced that she would take legal action against the company, but both parties later moved to dismiss the case.

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