Women in East Asia are putting tiny pegs into their nostrils so their nose could look more European.

The beauty trend apparently started from South Korea about two years ago and has spread to Japan, mainland China and Taiwan, where women with a pointier European nose are considered more attractive.

The beauty trend, however, has sparked serious health concerns. In a recent case from China, a woman reportedly swallowed a peg by accident and the small item was later found in her stomach.

Before (left) and after (right) pictures show a model's nose apparently becoming pointier after she used the nasal pegs. The image was posted by a seller on Taobao, a Chinese shopping site

Women in Asia are using the nasal pegs and hook to make their nose look more attractive. The advertisement on Taobao shows models posing for before-and-after pictures with the product

One advertisement, using a Western model, asked the public 'is your nose perfect enough'. As the it shows, the curved pegs are to be put inside the nostrils and remain there

The non-surgical nose-lifting trend apparently involves a set of tools which are popular on shopping websites in East and South-east Asia.

A typical set consists of two small curved pegs, measuring two to three centimetres long, as well as one adjusting hook.

The most popular brand seems to come from South Korea, but various other copycat products have cropped up and sell for as little as £1.

According to the instructions online, users should first insert the two pegs into their nostrils respectively. The pegs are said to be made with silicone.

Then they should use the hook to adjust the pegs so they stand in a 45-degree angle inside the nose.

A typical set consists of several pegs of different sizes and a hook for adjusting the angle

The beauty trend apparently started from South Korea about two years ago. Above is an advertisement found online showing the nasal sets which were made in South Korea

Online instructions say users should first insert the pegs into their nostrils. Then they should use the hook to adjust the pegs so they stand in a 45-degree angle inside the nose

One seller on China's popular shopping site, Taobao, claimed that because the product was invisible, it could be a woman's secret weapon in getting a beautiful nose without surgery.

An advertisement posted by the seller said the product, said to be 'anti-bacteria', could change the shape of a nose in less than 10 seconds and is safe to use.

However, potential customers are advised not to wear them for more than eight hours.

Although the nasal pegs are popular among beauty-conscious females, they have also brought health issues to the customers.

Eurasian actresses with pointier noses are huge popular in Asia. Above are Maggie Q (left), half American and half Vietnamese, and Michelle Reis (right), half Chinese and half Portuguese

Angelababy (left), who is a quarter German, and Cecilia Cheung (right), who is a quarter English, are also considered to have the perfect features by people in East Asia

Last November, a 25-year-old woman in Taipei nearly lost her nose after a peg poked through her nasal membrane and caused a bacterial infection, according to Apple Daily.

It was reported that the woman wanted to change the shape of her nose tip, but couldn't afford plastic surgery.

Dr. Liao Guoliang, who treated the woman, warned against the nasal beauty product.

Dr Liao said he noticed more and more female patients had come to the hospital after suffering from nasal diseases and injuries caused by the silicone pegs.

In another report from mainland China last week, a women from Chongqing had to be taken to the hospital after she accidentally inhaled the pegs then swallowed it.

After a medical checkup, doctors found the object in her stomach and it was eliminated from her body two days later.

The woman, surnamed Zeng, told a reporter from Chongqing Broadcasting Group that she had bought the product online, and that many other customers had suffered from similar problems judging from the comments left on the online shop.

Dr Zhou Xin, an ear-nose-throat specialist, called the beauty trend 'life-threatening'.

Dr Zhou said in the same report that the tiny objects could block a person's respiratory tract, causing difficulties in breathing and even posing danger to life.

Dr Zhou suggested women not use the nasal pegs.