There are many situations where, due to potential health issues, you might need to go for an X-Ray or MRI. While such a situation is common, it also comes with its fair share of challenges. One of them is that, because of the nature of these procedures, it’s unsafe to wear any metal objects. That brings the question, do you have to remove jewelry if you go for an MRI or an X-Ray? Let’s find out!
What items do you need to remove before entering an X-Ray or MRI?
If you need to go for an X-Ray, there are a few things that are not allowed to be worn during the procedure. A lot of people forget about them, but these are important to remove them right away. Jewelry, in particular, needs to be removed because it’s a safety concern. But why should you remove jewelry for the X-Ray?
The problem here stems from the nature of most jewelry. That’s because jewelry usually has metals in it, either 100% or some parts. Regardless, metals are not allowed during the X-Ray because they will be a safety concern. That’s why jewelry is one of those things you want to remove right away before you go for the X-Ray.
But that’s not all. There are other items you want to remove before your X-Ray or MRI. These include magnetic eyelashes, skin patches, glucose sensors, and hearing aids. Why is that? Anything that has metal in it can be potentially dangerous, and you want to address that as quickly as you can.
What about body piercings?
Body piercings have a different nature to them because they are not as easily removed when compared to external jewelry. You can’t really take a body piecing out at any time. That’s why, for the most part, body piercing will not be removed for an MRI or X-Ray. Unless, of course, it’s necessary. But in general, you will have to remove all the jewelry that you can because it can be dangerous to wear any metal while going through the procedure, be it an X-Ray or MRI.
With that in mind, the radiology clerks will require you to wear a plain sweatshirt or t-shirt, sweat pants or shorts, and shoes that you can remove with ease. These procedures technically need you to be in comfortable attire, without any necklaces, bracelets, rings or watches. Any jewelry that you wear is not allowed. Unless, as we said, we talk about body piercings. Those are an exception because removing them is going to be extremely difficult in most cases.
There’s one thing to keep in mind here, and that’s the fact that you can use piercing retainers to keep piercings open. Those can be very useful whenever you need to undergo any medical task like an MRI or an X-Ray. So even if you have piercings, there is an option for you to go through an MRI without having them removed. It also depends on the material as we said, if there’s any metal included in the jewelry or not. But thankfully, with piercing retainers, you can keep the piercing open and go through these procedures without any worries!
Conclusion
It’s very important to listen to the radiology clerk and their instructions before going for an MRI or X-Ray. The reality is that these procedures have their risks, and integrating metals within that environment is indeed dangerous. That’s why you should always remove your jewelry before an MRI or X-Ray. Yes, it’s not ideal, but you always want to ensure that you fully remove the jewelry to stay safe and prevent any issues!