What happens when a person with a tattoo get an MRI?

They've proven in Mythbusters that even heavy metal ink tattoos cause no metal sucking into the machine. Normal tattoos don't contain even a fraction of the metal they used in the experiment. It only affects very old black tattoos that used to use heavier metals, not new ones. One of the members of the show has a large tattoo on her shoulder and she had n problems when they did an MRI scan on her. The image came out only slightly altered.

It's said that some people with old metallic tattoos can feel skin discomfort, but it's something so unusual, it's not even a real issue.

Piercings in hidden places is a real issue both for MRIs and for surgeries where an electric cauterizer is used. I heard of a true story in one of my hospitals of someone that only required a minor surgery on the neck or something, so they didn't use a foley catheter and the person got slightly electrocuted because they had a genital piercing.

Mri Tattoo

I have worked in MRI rooms and have had several MRI scans and I have never been asked that.

Even if the ink contained iron it would not be a problem, our blood contains iron and it flows just fine in MRI. The only reason I can think of is that the tatto artist might have left a piece of a needle in you, but I'm sure you would notice that!

Body piercings are another matter of course...

By the way, a tattoo could not cause a shadow on an MRI scan. The magnetic fields and radio frequency signals pass through bone, skin and clothing so a few micrograms of ink is not going to affect them.

The tattoo is not going to be ripped out of your skin.

If ferromagnetic materials are used in creating the tattoo, it may create an imaging artifact, which will distort the images in the area of the tattoo. This is only a problem if this is the area to be evaluated.

Most importantly, the tattoo can heat up in a magnetic field; if heating is severe it can cause a burn to that area. It is rare for someone to be denied an MRI because of a tattoo, but you and the technologist need to be aware of it. If that area starts to feel hot you need to come out of the scanner.

MRI stands for Magnetic Resonance Imaging..

Hence thed word magnetic..

Ink, tatoo ink is comprised of pigments of ink..the ink has metalic properties.

Some people have had interactions with the MRI and having a tatoo, becuase the magnetic sources pull on the metal in the ink..It is really not an issue..but, people with a tatoo are often warned of the risks...which may cause some discomfort b/c of the metal in the ink and the magnet in the machine

I can not have an MRI or even be in the room of an MRI - I have tattooed eyeliner and my eyes burn like hell

well unless you got the tattoo in prison, your probably fine. Some of the ink used in prison tattoos contain heavy metals and if they do, an MRI will attract the metals and literally suck them out of your skin.

They cause shadows. And that can lead them to believe in a growth. Which would leave to an unnecessary biopsies.

if the dye used is ferromagnetic, that is, has magnetic properties, then the dye may be ripped out of your skin, or worse, be pulled into your body and wreak havoc.