CoolSculpting

The CoolSculpting system is used to remove fat, particularly love handles—deposits and bulges that are stubborn. However, the risk to a patient of the severe side effect of disfigurement may be higher than previously realized. If you were injured or disfigured by CoolSculpting, you should call the seasoned Chicago-based product liability lawyers of Moll Law Group. Billions in damages have been recovered in cases with which we’ve been involved. We represent clients all over the nation.

The CoolSculpting system appeared more than a dozen years ago in the crowded beauty industry. The manufacturer claimed this device would freeze the most stubborn pockets of fat in a nonsurgical and painless scientifically proven procedure. The news coverage specified that this procedure had been developed in a Harvard Medical School lab, which differentiated it from other beauty products. The then-new technology took off and became a popular device at the offices of dermatologists, plastic surgeons, and medical spas.

The CoolSculpting system used cryolipolysis. Providers put the paddles of a device around a consumer’s targeted region of fat for an extended period in order to freeze the fat cells. Often consumers go through several treatments in a single area, and if it works, the cells of that part of the body are shed and the body as a whole absorbs them. There are people, however, for whom severe disfigurement occurs because the fat in the targeted region, rather than shrink, grows and hardens. This leads to paradoxical adipose hyperplasia, a medical condition that can require surgery.

According to the pharmaceutical giant that owns Cool Sculpting at present, the risk is around 1 in 3000. However, some internal documents and studies suggest a much higher degree of risk to patients than what the company claims. One journal article argues for reclassification of the procedure, stating that the increasing incidence of these serious side effects makes the events common or frequent under the World Health Organization’s criteria. It has been determined that sometimes the side effects of CoolSculpting are invisible. When the effects are subtle, patients may think they’ve simply gained the weight back, and it may not get reported as a side effect of the procedure. One study suggests that paradoxical adipose hyperplasia is underreported.

The FDA relies on hospitals and manufacturers to report the adverse events, but often consumers and private doctors are not equally encouraged and that can skew the number of reports and the process of recall or other action. Zeltiq, the original manufacturer, found out about someone who had developed a significant, solid fat mass after undergoing the procedure after the initial F.D.A. clearance. In 2017, physicians published that 1 in every 100 of their patients receiving CoolSculpting developed the adverse side effect, even as the consultants for the manufacturer published lower percentages of harm.

Attorneys have filed product liability lawsuits for damages. Among the litigants was supermodel Linda Evangelista who has said she was severely disfigured and with whom Zeltiq settled.

You may be able to recover significant damages if you developed a serious side effect, such as paradoxical adipose hyperplasia, as a result of CoolSculpting. Our product liability lawyers will need to establish the manufacturer’s liability. Theories of liability vary from state to state; depending on the state, they include strict liability, negligence, breach of contract, and breach of warranty. A product may be defective in terms of its design, marketing, or manufacturing. Often marketing defects involve a failure to adequately warn of serious risks. However, it can be crucial to retain experts to examine a case, and for our lawyers to investigate all potential paths of liability, including medical malpractice.

If you suffered disfigurement or other serious injuries, and suspect this is because of undergoing the CoolSculpting procedure, you should call the seasoned Chicago product liability lawyers of Moll Law Group to see whether you have a claim. We represent people all across the state who were injured by defective products. Please complete our online form or call us at 312.462.1700.