MEDPAGE TODAY, SAN ANTONIO — A new challenge for MRI safety is linked to one particular beauty trend: ferromagnetic nail polish.
Based on the available literature, magnetic nail polish is increasingly observed — with reports rising 250-300% over the past decade — and has been associated with worse image quality due to streak artifacts on 3T MRI, according to Melanie Hall, MD, of Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, reporting here at the annual meeting of the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA).
Nail polish can be removed, but there is the separate issue of permanent tattoos, the iron oxide in which can cause signal voids and radiofrequency heating — occasionally even resulting in skin irritation and burns.
Similarly, permanent makeup (e.g., eyeliner) has also been shown to result in discomfort and localized burns and swelling while interfering with cranial and orbital imaging, often requiring parameter adjustments, Hall told the audience.
Finally, metallic hair dye may cause minor distortions on MRI as well; this can be reduced after hair washing, she said.
Following the presentation, the male session moderators confessed to having “no idea” about these magnetic cosmetic trends and had no comment.
Hall offered up her own hands as an example of a “cat eye” manicure — a pattern achieved by nail technicians swiping a magnet over the magnetic particles in the nail polish, she explained …
