How chef Nargis Hovik's breast implants almost 'destroyed' her

The chef's mystery ailments disappeared when she ditched her implants. Photo / Jo Caird

When mum of three Nargis Hovik went to her doctor with a string of health complications such as nasty rashes, hair loss, infected gums, nail fungus and unexplained weight gain, the chef and business owner never expected her breast implants were the cause.

Although her GP brushed off the symptoms, putting them down to ageing since she was nearing 30, Nargis knew it was something more. After stumbling across a story about breast implant illness, the Aucklander had hers removed two weeks later. Within a few months, the symptoms had cleared.

"I gave birth to my eldest daughter when I'd just turned 21 and finished breastfeeding her at 22, and I thought my boobs were like used tea bags and that it was unfair because I was too young," laughs the Howick-based mother of Adeleine, 15, Amelia, eight, and Aiden, six.

"I decided to get implants and saved up for them because it was something I really didn't like about myself," she tells. "It's silly looking back but when you're young, you think it's all about the looks. I wanted them the same size as they were before breastfeeding, to kind of fill them back up and look natural rather than massive."

With her energy gone and a long list of ailments, Nargis felts like a stranger in her own body. Photo / Supplied

Nargis, 36, was happy with the outcome when she received her breast implants in Norway in 2008 and there were no complications. But when it was time for her to have the implants replaced after her son was born 10 years later, Nargis' health rapidly started to deteriorate.

"My skin and face were covered in rashes I couldn't get rid of, and my hair was falling out massively," recalls Nargis, who is Azerbaijani and Russian, and met her ex-husband, her youngest kids' dad, in Spain. "On my wedding day, I had to get fake hair to cover the bald patches.

"My gums were constantly infected and my dentist had no idea why. I needed root canals in every single back tooth for no reason at all. My joints started getting sore and at night my legs were shaking, and I was sweating."

She also gained 13 kilos, despite exercising regularly and eating healthily, which was a habit installed in her as a child living in Russia – where she shared a bedroom with her mother, father, nana, uncle and great-grandma – eating mainly vegetable soups and broths.

"My whole family were chefs because when I was born in Russia, there was still communism, and so they did it just to have access to food," tells Nargis, who owns LUMI, which creates nutritious ready-to-eat meals on a subscription plan. "We had a lot of meals using different vegetables because we didn't have a lot of meat.

With boyfriend Ollie and kids (from left) Amelia, Aiden and Adeleine. Photo / Supplied

"I think there was so much inflammation in my body and it was water weight. It was all super-random and everything suddenly seemed to shut down. I got postnatal depression and the doctor told me it was my age. I was like, 'No way, I'm only 29!' I knew something was really wrong."

Nargis started isolating herself and struggled with brain fog so bad, she couldn't drive. When her children told their usually bubbly and social mum that she seemed sad, she visited her doctor again. Nargis was placed on antidepressants, which helped with her brain fog, anxiety and sleeping problems, but all the other debilitating symptoms remained.

In 2017, after living in France for seven years where her then-hubby, a Kiwi, was playing professional rugby, Nargis moved to New Zealand with her family. A year later, she saw an article about breast implant illness in the media and noticed many of the symptoms listed mirrored hers.

"I wasn't even 100 percent I had breast implant illness, but I said, 'Screw this, get them out,'" reveals Nargis, who has worked as a chef in Scandinavia, Spain and France.
"After three or four months of having them out, I saw huge improvements. My joints weren't sore and I haven't had sore joints since. My skin cleared up, my hair was less thin and I dropped the weight without even trying."

No pain means more fun family outings. Photo / Supplied

Now that her physical health is back in full peak, Nargis has energy to focus on her kids, a new relationship and her work helping other busy mums, gym-goers, businesspeople and celebrities including Annika Moa, Kimberley Crossman, Dan Carter and Tana Umaga to eat
and feel healthy.

"I can cook anything from nothing, which I think comes from my childhood, and I stand in the kitchen listening to music and just cooking for hours. I love it," she smiles. "I'm in such a good place now and I appreciate good health more than ever."