Piercings/Tats and MRIs...Question

[Guest]

Ok... am newly pierced... have had my nipple piercing about 1 month now and am wondering... what does one do if one needs an MRI? I have read/heard that nipple piercings can close up very quickly... within minutes (?!)... although it may be that it is just hard to reinsert the jewelry into a nipple site...

so is there a plastic piece of "jewelry" out there that I can get to insert while having an MRI instead of what I normally wear?


Also... does anyone know what the deal is w/ tats and MRIs? If you have a Tat does that mean you can not get an MRI? Does it depend on the type of ink or the location of it?

Thanks in advance for any info...

1girl

 

[timberwolf05]

being an idiot i dont know what mri is..but if it is xrays..some places i am told ya can keep the rings in...i kept mine in for xrays..plus the rings down below.

and i am going to have a p.a. done soon too..

take care
wolf

tats? tats are part of your skin and dont come off...my tats have been no medical issue yet

 

[h_i_s]

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) uses radio waves and a strong magnetic field rather than x-rays to provide clear and detailed pictures of internal organs and tissues.

In that it is magnetic the results can be affected when jewelry is worn during a scan. They will decide which articles of jewelry can be worn, and which must be removed prior to performing a scan.

Having tattos will not affect the results of an MRI, or an x-ray (unless they are using new types of inks for tattos, which contain some type of metallic ink ... but i've never heard of them existing). The only restriction i know of regarding tattos (where i live, in MA): You are not to be allowed to donate blood for at least 12 months after being tattoed.

A few examples of acrylic (plastic type) nipple jewelry available online (these in the links below are only $3.99):

--14 gage acrylic captive ring
--14 or 12 gage acrylic captive ring
--10 gage straight acrylic retainer

 

[Guest]

oops and thanks

Ooops... I am sorry, I should have explained what MRI stood for!

sinnocent-thanks for the info on plastic jewelry, I will have to check that out!

1girl

 

[canadiancutie]

don't go to all that trouble. Body jewllery is small enough that the MRI doesn't really bother it. Don't worry, it's not going to like, rip out of your body haha, but if you're still paranoid, ask the tech person for some tape, and just tape it down. That's what I did, and I looked retarded with tape on my face, but yeah haha

 

[Guest]

tats and MRIs... burns?

Okay... I just read that "a lot" (?) of tatoos have Iron in them and that people w/ those types of tats can get burns from having MRIs done... serious burns.

Not sure if that is true...!

 

[Guest]

tats and MRIs...

Okay, just found this... not sure this is the most reliable source tho!

MRIs
Interference with magnetic resonance imaging has in the past been a concern with tattooing. The magnetic fields involved in a routine MRI scan (used to detect conditions such as multiple sclerosis and breast cancer) would sometimes interact with the metal particles formerly used in tattoo dyes. This causes the site of the tattoo to heat, ranging from slight warming to severe pain-causing heat.[2] The metal particles could also interfer with the scan, producing distortions in the resulting image, though this aspect is not well documented.[3] For the most part, reports of pain during MRIs by tattoo bearers are rare, with no lasting effects, and a cold compress during the procedure will alleviate any discomfort.[4]

Today the majority of professional tattoos do not contain metal particles and therefore there is no concern with MRIs. Tattoos of the "permanent make-up" variety (eyeliner, etc.) are more likely to contain metal particles, and these individuals should consult with their doctor or technician before the process begins. There are alternatives to MRIs—individuals with pacemakers also need to use other diagnostic tools—so when it doubt, ask your doctor.

http://www.internet-encyclopedia.us/index.php/wiki.php?title=Tattoo

 

[canadiancutie]

Okay... I just read that "a lot" (?) of tatoos have Iron in them and that people w/ those types of tats can get burns from having MRIs done... serious burns.

Not sure if that is true...!

haha it's bullshit, don't worry. If you have these questions, you should talk to the techs when you get there

 

[Guest]

...

the american acadamy of dermatologists mention possibililty of misdiagnosis due to metals in the tatoo ink....

http://www.aad.org/public/Publications/pamphlets/tattoo.htm



(I'm considering getting a tat... that is why I am looking at these issues...)

 

[Guest]

notify the dotor

hmm... notify the "dotor"? "are there any risk?" some great typos on this site...




http://www.goodsam-md.org/body.cfm?id=853



Are there any risk?
MRI is a safe imaging method. However, you must inform your doctor or any technologists if you have any metallic implants. The scanner's strong magnet couls cause discomfort or injury to you when placed in the magnetic field. These metallic implants could also exclude you from the exam. Please notify you dotor if you have:

a pacemaker
aneurysm clips
any implanted neuro-stimulators
a metal plate, pin or other metallic implant
ever been wounded through military service
ever been wounded from a previous gunshot wound
history of eye injury caused by metal
a tatoo or permanent eye liner
claustrophobia
pregnant

 

[Guest]

this one says... no issues w/ more recent tattoos..

oh well, I'm done researching for now... here is one more link:

http://tattoo.about.com/cs/tatfaq/a/mri_scan.htm



Thanks for the input I've gotten so far!

1 girl

 

[h_i_s]

hmm... notify the "dotor"? "are there any risk?" ............

The scanner's strong magnet couls cause discomfort or injury to you when placed in the magnetic field. These metallic implants could also exclude you from the exam. Please notify you dotor if you have:

a pacemaker
aneurysm clips
any implanted neuro-stimulators
a metal plate, pin or other metallic implant
ever been wounded through military service
ever been wounded from a previous gunshot wound
history of eye injury caused by metal
a tatoo or permanent eye liner
claustrophobia
pregnant

You can add a few other implanted devices to that list, one being an IUD.

Being a cosmetologist for 10+ years, trained to perform, and knowledgeable in the field of professional makeup, to include permanent pigmentation procedures, i'm one who has learned to take the warnings seriously. i've seen some crazy things happen over the years. Sometimes you just never know how pigmented chemicals might react in any given situation, and normally when they do .. there is a bit of pain involved. While the risks regarding problems associated with MRIs in association with artificial pigments used in some makeups do have an extremely low rate of occurrence, they are risks none the less. Burning sensations and swelling of the subcutaneous areas where artificial pigments exist, during and after an MRI may not seem like a big deal until it is YOU who is actually experiencing the complications.

Regarding tattoos, i wasn't aware of there being metallics involved with some. Just did a bit of searching with Google, and realized there are metallics in some tattoos (mostly present with the older tattoos it seems). i'd ask my Dr. about which measures to take to avoid any complications, regardless.

As with any health concern, you won't find the best answers for YOU and YOUR particular health concerns on any forum. Your doctor and other health care professionals will be the best source of guidance and advice. i'd ask them.

 

[Blushing Bottom]

MRIs & O

I have a piercing in my labia and have been told twice it's "no problem" and twice to "take it out" being a risk taker i left it in where it remains today. So answer is...who really knows? I think they plan to error on the side of safety but have no f**king idea. As usual.

 

[Private_Label]

MRI's & CT's

I had my neck and lower back scanned with MRI's after my car accident. They had me take off my earrings, glasses, hair clips (and any clothing with metal-zippers/buttons), and asked me about tatoos - some inks contain metal ions which can heat up due to the MRI. I also had a CT scan when I had a lump removed from a sinus - again, I had to remove the earrings & glasses and was asked if I had any tatoos the hair covered up - my hair was in braids that day and the bands used to hold them together at the bottom were far enough out of the field that I didn't need to remove them (but if I were having a different area imaged, they would have had to come off too). X-rays use a different technology, and a lower "energy" signature where metal objects are concerned - it doesn't interact with the metal content of things (i.e. metal stops the x-ray and metal shows up as a "white" structure on the film).

 

[Etoile]

When looking for plastic body jewelry, you might search for the word "retainer" - I believe that's what they're called.

 

[Guest]

Thanks!

I appreciate all of the posts on this!



1girl

 

[h_i_s]

When looking for plastic body jewelry, you might search for the word "retainer" - I believe that's what they're called.

Yes ... the clear acrylic retainers are also great for when you don't want a piercing to be noticed. One of the links which i posted was for a retainer .. & i have a couple just for that reason.

 

[graceanne]

This is all so interesting. K wants me to get . . . parts pierced, and I get MRI's, Cat Scan's, and X-rays routinely. I guess I'm dumb, cause it never occured to me to think that when I get pierced that their might be a problem there. When I get it done, I'll talk to the piercer to find out where I can get temporary jewelry. (And it'll have to be temporary because I'm allergic to everything but sterling silver, gold, and platinum. )

 

[temp256]

Actually, x-radiation is very likely to cause burns around metal. They are almost entirely absorbed by metals, meaning the photonic energy is converted into heat. Just like metal in a microwave.

This doesn't mean getting an x-ray is dangerous however. It only lasts a fraction of a second, just like a photograph. Not nearly long enough to heat things up. If for some reason they are using continuous radiation, there is a much greater danger.

MRIs have magnetic fields on the order of several Teslas, capable of inducing current in metal, heating it up. The magnets could even physically shift the metal, resulting in death in some cases.

In short, take it out.

 

[HerVeryOwn]

Ok... am newly pierced... have had my nipple piercing about 1 month now and am wondering... what does one do if one needs an MRI?

Photonic - "Systems that generate and transmit light (photons). Most photonic systems use electricity and electronic circuits as their source of energy."
Energy - "Physics: The capacity of a physical system to do work. Industrial: Usable heat or power"

Geeze! There's too much ill-informed mumbo-jumbo going on about this!

X-Rays won't heat up jack with body jewelry. X-Radiation is not the same thing as microwave energy. [ http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/hph.html ] To boot, if the energies involved were enough that this was even a remote possibility, you'd never survive the imaging procedure anyway--with or without metal in your nipple.

If the jewelry is ferrous (attracted by a magnet) replace it with something non-ferrous, like teflon, acrylic or a non-ferrous metal like gold--that is, if you're really nervous about it.

Been there, done that (X-Rays & MRIs), with both gold (LeRoi) and annealed stainless (Industrial Strength and GoodArt) body jewelry left in place. I never tore out a nipple ring or a PA, and nothing caught fire or blistered.

As mentioned before, ask for a strip of micropore tape to tape down your stainless jewelry, as they will vibrate slightly with an MRI. (Feels kind of cool, if you ask me.) The worst you'll get is some funny looks from the Rad. Tech.

Some imaging techs will try to go Joe Friday on you, 'cause they're too lazy to shoot around the jewelry, if they're doing X-Rays. Tell 'em to get somebody who knows how to do the job right...or slap some sense into their little brains--your choice which. (This was discussed to death a few years back on the Tribalectic Boards...drop on by and see us sometime.)

I have no idea what the composition of tattoo inks happen to be, so there's nothing to say about that.

BTW: How's your after-care going?

 

[Guest]

after care... single nipple piercing....

I was really happy with my healing process up until now...

after the first few 2-3 days of consistant (low level) pain (well, I must add in the short lived but excrutiating every time I bumped my rather large chest into something... which happened WAY too often!) it didn't hurt anymore... I never had any noticable drainage from it.

Cleaned it as directed (twice daily) with dial antibacterial soap... usually, just as you would have w/ an earing, there was a small amount of white deposit to clean off the barbell.

The barbell slips pretty freely back and forth after I remove any small deposits that are there.

The past few days I've been watching it more closely... I have no pain, no swelling... but I am a little concerned about it as there has been a change in the type/consistancy of "deposits" on the barbell. Am going to continue to watch it/keep it clean... and see what happens.

I've been really happy w/ my piercing! Am so glad I had it done. I love it!

Thanks for asking,

1girl

 

[Kierae]

I have had multiple surgeries over the last several years and several MRI's. I have 17 piercings and a couple tattoos so have had to deal with the issue of fresh piercings, possibility of losing piercings, etc. You can get retainers for a hole - honestly the only piercing I did that with was my eyebrow piercing since its such a surface piercing and will close up fairly quickly. Several years ago the medical personnel insisted that all jewelry had to come out for surgery. I use to remove the jewelry right at the last minute (as they wheel ya into surgery) and then my husband would put the rings right back in when I hit the postop floor. The last couple surgeries I have just outright refused - its not like my below the belt piercings are going to interfere with anything and have also left the nipple ones in (just told them if there was an "emergency", they had permission to take them out). It really is the matter of educating them and fortunately tats and piercings are fairly common in my part of the country. Don't let them bully you.

With fresh nipple piercings, if you have to take the jewelry out for any reason, make sure you get it back in as soon as possible. It isn't that the "hole" will close but ironically the entrance and/or exit will kinda seal itself so you might find that you can get the ring/bar in on one side but not all the way thru - which means you end up popping it thru (cheap thrills if you are into piercings or pain ).

With regards to tats, only real issue is the no donation of blood for a year and protecting your piece of art from doctors and nurses who are tape happy or knife happy!

Enjoy the piercings - they are addictive.

~kierae

 

[graceanne]

I have had multiple surgeries over the last several years and several MRI's. I have 17 piercings and a couple tattoos so have had to deal with the issue of fresh piercings, possibility of losing piercings, etc. You can get retainers for a hole - honestly the only piercing I did that with was my eyebrow piercing since its such a surface piercing and will close up fairly quickly. Several years ago the medical personnel insisted that all jewelry had to come out for surgery. I use to remove the jewelry right at the last minute (as they wheel ya into surgery) and then my husband would put the rings right back in when I hit the postop floor. The last couple surgeries I have just outright refused - its not like my below the belt piercings are going to interfere with anything and have also left the nipple ones in (just told them if there was an "emergency", they had permission to take them out). It really is the matter of educating them and fortunately tats and piercings are fairly common in my part of the country. Don't let them bully you.

With fresh nipple piercings, if you have to take the jewelry out for any reason, make sure you get it back in as soon as possible. It isn't that the "hole" will close but ironically the entrance and/or exit will kinda seal itself so you might find that you can get the ring/bar in on one side but not all the way thru - which means you end up popping it thru (cheap thrills if you are into piercings or pain ).

With regards to tats, only real issue is the no donation of blood for a year and protecting your piece of art from doctors and nurses who are tape happy or knife happy!

Enjoy the piercings - they are addictive.

~kierae

Yeah, actually quite often the doctors have piercings, too. I know that about half of hte people who come to take my blood in the mornings had several noticeable piercings and tatoos. One of the chicks even did peircing on the weekends for extra money. (Yes, she was licensed.)

 

[Rrrosyn]

Ok... am newly pierced... have had my nipple piercing about 1 month now and am wondering... what does one do if one needs an MRI? I have read/heard that nipple piercings can close up very quickly... within minutes (?!)... although it may be that it is just hard to reinsert the jewelry into a nipple site...

so is there a plastic piece of "jewelry" out there that I can get to insert while having an MRI instead of what I normally wear?


Also... does anyone know what the deal is w/ tats and MRIs? If you have a Tat does that mean you can not get an MRI? Does it depend on the type of ink or the location of it?

Thanks in advance for any info...

1girl

You got a lot of replies fast. I skimmed them but decided I would answer anyway.

MRIs heat up my jewelry. My rings on my hands got very hot and my hands were not even in the mechine. I usually take my earrings out since most of my MRI experiences were brain scans. I left my nipple rings on during on brain scan (asked and tech said it was ok) and I thought they were going to burn my nipples off. It's the vibration of the metal molecules themselves causing the heating sensation. It's not supposed to happen, especially on my rings since they were never in the machine.

X-Rays have usually been chest X-Rays. I take my nipple jewelry out for those. I have even switched to horse-shoe shaped barbells during times when I was having a lot of testing. They are easier than hoops to get in an out right there in the dressing room.

You can use plastic space keepers. Order them online at all sorts of places. Some brands are really nice because they will bend to any piercing (so straight barbell or hoops won't matter) but they WILL show up on an MRI. I had my tubes tied and the clamps show up everytime they scan my kidneys. Those clamps are much smaller than plastic jewelry replacements. My grandmother's brain shunt also shows up. You need to tell a tech if you are wearing something like that because it will be there on the films.

I just take all my jewelry off and out for testing and use easy to remove jewelry if frequent testing is looking likely.

EDIT: MY tat doesn't matter or effect anything. As someone said it would take a metalic ink to cause problems.

 

[Guest]

yup

Stopped in to the tattoo/piercing parlor today and chatted w/ the woman who pierced me.

She is going to order me a "PFE" to replace my jewelry w/ when I go for my scan. It sounded like the "PFE" is sort of a plastic barbell.

She also reassured me that it is only the very old tattoo inks that you need to be concerned about although she did say that there may be trace amounts in the inks being used today (but it shouldn't be a problem).



Also wanted to mention that health care staff are trained to have patients remove jewelry before procedures like surgeries. It has been a few years... piercings weren't common when I last worked in a hospital... but I remember that it was frowned upon to even leave a wedding ring on a patient... but it could be left on and taped in place if a patient insisted on keeping it on or if it was non-removable. One reason that was done was so that the patient didn't have their jewelry lost or stolen... (although I am having a hard time imagining anyone stealing most piercing jewelry...(but you never know)).