We describe the case of a 7-year-old girl who had placed magnetic earrings bilaterally on her nasal ala. However, the two backing magnets that had been placed inside the nasal cavity became attached to each other rather than to the outer jewelry, compressing the nasal septum. Several weeks later, the septum became perforated. The patient was treated conservatively with mupirocin ointment, oral amoxicillin, and nasal saline. Subsequent examinations revealed no enlargement of the perforation, and the patient was followed conservatively with saline nasal spray.
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