Mum: Fat-freezing left me disfigured

A MUM from Leicester suffered burns, sepsis, and was left disfigured by a fat-freezing procedure similar to the one that “destroyed the livelihood” of model Linda Evangelista.

Hema Patel-Bounds, 46, said that cryoliopolysis, also known as CoolSculpting, left her “traumatised and in agony” after she received the treatment.

She felt the need to come forward after 1990s icon Ms Evangelista, 56, spoke of how she became a recluse after complications from the treatment five years ago.

Hema, pictured, said: “Hearing about her reduced me to tears. I also struggled to leave the house after being left disfigured. Like Linda, I’ve battled with body dysmorphia and low self-esteem because of it.”

Hema opted for the £120-a-time non-surgical procedure after a beautician recommended it.

The treatment uses paddles to freeze body fat, killing the cells. Then, a heated pad is applied to dissolve fat and awaken the muscles.

According to Cosmetics watchdog, Save Face, 54 Britons have reported ill-effects from the procedure since 2017.

Hema is one of them, stopping her second treatment in April 2019 because she felt “a sensation of burning” when the heat pad was applied to her tummy.

The teacher, who says she was only warned about “mild” sideeffects, said: “I screamed out to stop. There were two large red marks on my stomach. The next day (they were) massive blisters, 10.5cm and 9.5cm long.”

Two weeks later, her GP told her she had sepsis.

Hema said: “I felt lucky they caught it when they did.”

Ashton Collins, of Save Face, said that some rogue clinics buy cheap kits from China that do not meet safety standards.

She added: “The number of complaints is still relatively low, but we want to raise awareness now. We advise people to visit saveface.co.uk before treatment to find a list of approved practitioners.”

HEMA, 46, BATTLED SEPSIS AFTER

PROCEDURE