Magnetic nasal foreign bodies: a result of fashion mania

The fashion of body piercing among adults has encouraged children to have similar procedures or imitate them by applying small magnets to sustain the jewellery used in piercing in position [Emerg. Med. J. 19 (2002) 71]. We present cases of children who have placed magnets on their nasal alae that became misplaced on to the nasal septum causing severe pain and in some cases nasal bleeding and septal perforation. We describe management of these cases.