Two women suffered facial burns linked to "permanent cosmetics" when they went for an MRI scan, prompting a call to clamp down on makeup tattoo inks. Permanent cosmetics - a form of tattooing around the eyes and lips - are rapidly growing in popularity. Permanent cosmetics technician and trainer Michelle O'Byrne said her business, Wake Up With Make Up, used pigments that were free of iron oxide. But the magnetic field produced by an MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) can induce an electric current in the ink if it contains iron oxide. Some patients can have a CT scan, but in some situations there is no alternative to MRI.

Source: New Zealand Herald July 02, 2016 17:02 UTC