Permanent Makeup and MRI During GLP-1: What to Tell the Imaging Team

If you have tattooed brows, eyeliner or lip color and an MRI appointment, include that cosmetic work in the screening conversation. A beauty treatment you stopped thinking about years ago can still belong on the form.

Name the procedure and its location

Do not assume the word “tattoo” on a form refers only to body art. Tell staff plainly that you have cosmetic tattooing, where it is and approximately when it was done. If you have had several sessions, say so. If the date or pigment is unknown, write “unknown” rather than guessing.

The FDA's MRI preparation page specifically includes tattoos in the information to give the technologist. It also emphasizes accurate screening responses, including information about implants and medication patches. A cosmetic-treatment history should accompany the rest of the screening, rather than replace it. [2]

For a message before your appointment, try: “I have permanent eyebrow makeup and tattooed eyeliner. What information do you need before my MRI, and is there anything you want me to bring?” This is an appointment prompt you can adapt, not a clearance statement.

The image can matter as well as the skin

The European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology's 2025 patient leaflet notes that tattooed eyelids can produce artifacts in MRI images of the eyes. An artifact is a distortion or interference in the image. It recommends telling the radiology team about all tattoos, including small or older ones. [3]

Give staff the location even if the makeup looks faded to you. Let the radiologist decide whether it affects the planned examination. A statement about one person's scan, or about a different body area, does not answer that question for your appointment.

Know how to report a sensation during the scan

Before the examination starts, ask how to contact the technologist while you are inside the scanner. FDA lists the location of the call button among questions patients can ask. [2]

AAD says to ask the technician to stop the MRI if you feel burning or stinging where you have a tattoo or permanent makeup. It describes burns as rare; although they are often mild, serious burns have been reported. [4]

The EADV leaflet also says to report unusual warmth, tingling or discomfort immediately. Staff may need to assess whether the examination can continue or should stop. [3] Describe the sensation and where it is happening. Do not wait until the appointment is over to mention it.

Keep a short cosmetic-treatment note

For your own records, use a simple list: procedure, body site, approximate date, provider and any pigment information already available. Add previous reactions and the imaging department's instructions. The point is to make your history easier to explain; the note is not a test of whether an ink is suitable for MRI.

If you are only considering permanent makeup, read our brow consultation guide for the separate decision about having the procedure. Do not arrange tattoo removal solely to prepare for a scan without medical advice. EADV says removal for imaging should be considered only exceptionally, in consultation with a medical professional. [3]

These sources concern cosmetic tattoos and imaging. They do not establish that GLP-1 treatment changes the interaction between tattoo pigment and MRI. Keep this screening task separate from decisions about your medication, and follow the imaging department's individual instructions.

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This article provides general education, not a diagnosis or an individual treatment plan. Medication information refers to US sources. Discuss medication, nutrition and cosmetic treatment decisions with qualified clinicians.