When cosmetic surgery goes wrong: Supermodel Linda Evangelista is not the only star to suffer 'botched' procedure

Watch: Supermodel Linda Evangelista says she's been 'disfigured'

One of the original 'supermodels' and 90s Glamazons claims she has been 'permanently deformed' by cosmetic surgery, and her career has been ruined as a result.

Linda Evangelista, known for her athletic figure and exquisite bone structure, was a world-famous name, appearing in campaigns for Revlon, walking runways for the major designers such as Chanel and Valentino, and starring on over 700 magazine covers.

A 'muse' for photographer Steven Meisel, it was Linda, now 56, who said of herself and her fellow supermodels, "we don't wake up for less than $10 000 a day."

Yet the woman once voted the Greatest Supermodel of All Time has apparently had her career brought to an abrupt and painful end. A technique known as 'Coolscuplting' is reportedly to blame.

Otherwise known as cryolipolysis, it's a cosmetic procedure that freezes fat cells and means theyre then excreted by the liver. It's been available in the UK since 2010, and many are seemingly happy with the results.

It's not clear whether Evangelista suffered an allergic reaction, but she wrote on Instagram this week, "It increased, not decreased, my fat cells and left me permanently deformed even after undergoing two painful, unsuccessful, corrective surgeries.

Read more: Jane Fonda, 82, finished with plastic surgery: 'I’m not going to cut myself up anymore'

"Today I took a big step towards righting a wrong that I have suffered and have kept to myself for over five years. To my followers who have wondered why I have not been working while my peers’ careers have been thriving, the reason is that I was brutally disfigured by Zeltiq’s CoolSculpting procedure which did the opposite of what it promised.’

"I have been left, as the media has described, “unrecognisable”.’"

She described herself as depressed, filled with self-loathing and 'a recluse' as a result.

She poignantly added, "With this lawsuit, I am moving forward to rid myself of my shame and going public with my story. I’m so tired of living this way. I would like to walk out my door with my head held high, despite not looking like myself any longer.’"

Read more: 'I've had surgery to look like Barbie'

Evangelista's experience is extreme - but plenty of other stars have fallen foul of the surgeon's knife, often due to a form of body dysmorphia which means they simply don't know when to stop.

Sylvester Stallone has had his own procedures, but his mother, Jackie, became famous largely for her extraordinary features after years of tweaks.

Another model, '70s star Janice Dickinson, previously a regular on Britain's Next Top Model, has also undergone so much intervention she's almost unrecognisable, while much-loved British actor Leslie Ash was cruelly mocked for her 'trout pout' when a lip filler procedure went wrong, leaving her with swollen lips for several years.

The compulsion to undergo more and more cosmetic surgery to remain young and wrinkle-free can also mean that while nothing has been 'botched', faces acquire an alien quality.

Model and TV star Katie Price regularly posts pictures of herself having work done, and has recently been the subject of commentary for her latest round of noticeable 'tweaks'.

Meanwhile acclaimed actor Darryl Hannah has never admitted to having anything done', her face has recently appeared puffy and swollen in photographs, an issue also noted with Renee Zellweger, the actor who embodied the much-loved 'ordinary girl' Bridget Jones, before apparently undergoing work that changed the shape of her face.

Madonna, too, has recently been the subject of speculation for appearing in her photos and videos looking unnaturally smooth of skin at 63. She recently shared a shot of herself on instagram looking 30 years younger (and somewhat stranger) captioned, 'and they said I wouldn't last.'

But criticising stars for vanity in a world where eternal youth is presented as the holy grail is hardly fair. They're paid to look a certain way - and when time isn't on their side, the surgeon is. Unless, of course, it goes wrong. In Evangelista's case, she's lost her self esteem and her career. We can only hope that she recovers both.

Watch: Katie Price defends flying to red list country for cosmetic surgery