Metallic and 'cat-eye' nail polishes can cause MRI safety risks and artifacts

Metallic and "cat-eye" nail polishes containing ferromagnetic particles can heat up and cause significant artifacts during MRI, posing a potential burn risk. In testing, some formulations showed temperature increases exceeding 2°C (exact figure not reported in source).

• Study tested multiple metallic nail polish formulations for ferromagnetic properties and heating effects in a 1.5T MRI environment (exact n not reported in source).
• Only metallic and cat-eye polishes containing iron or magnetic particles posed a hazard; standard non-metallic polishes showed no effect.
• This is an educational/informational report with no patient-specific data, highlighting the need to screen for these cosmetic products before scanning.

RadPigeon summaries are original and for information only. They are not clinical advice.