What to Wear for a CT Scan of the Head

For a CT scan of the head, you can usually wear your regular clothes as long as they have no metal near or above your shoulders. A simple crewneck t-shirt, a cotton sweater, or a button-up without metal snaps around the collar works well. The scan focuses on your skull and brain, so the real concern is anything metallic in the scanning field: earrings, necklaces, hairpins, glasses, and certain hair accessories all need to come off before imaging begins. Most people do not need a hospital gown for a head CT, which makes it one of the more straightforward imaging appointments to prepare for.

Why Metal Is the Problem

CT scanners work by rotating an X-ray beam around your body and measuring how much of the beam gets absorbed at each angle. Software then reconstructs those measurements into cross-sectional images. Metal throws a wrench into this process because it absorbs far more X-ray energy than soft tissue or bone does. When X-rays pass through a metal object, physical effects like photon starvation and beam hardening distort the measurements reaching the detector, producing streaks, bright flares, and dark shadows on the final images.¹ These artifacts can obscure the anatomy your doctor is trying to evaluate, potentially hiding a bleed, a tumor, or a fracture.

For a head CT specifically, the stakes are high because the structures being examined are packed tightly together. A streak artifact from an earring can cut across brain tissue in the image and make it impossible to tell whether something abnormal is present. That is why the imaging center’s instructions focus so heavily on removing metal from the head and neck area, even small items you might forget about.

What You Need to Remove

Before you lie down on the scanner table, the technologist will ask you to take off anything metallic from roughly the collarbone up. The common list includes:

Earrings: all types, including small studs. Even tiny posts contain enough metal to create visible streaks on the images.
Necklaces and chains: anything that sits at or above the neck, including pendants and chokers.
Hairpins and clips: bobby pins, metal barrettes, claw clips with metal springs, and decorative pins.
Glasses and sunglasses: metal frames produce obvious artifacts, but even plastic frames often have small metal hinges or nose pieces that can interfere.
Hearing aids: they contain electronic components and metal housings that distort the image and could be damaged by the X-ray environment.
Piercings: nose rings, eyebrow rings, tongue bars, lip studs, and any other facial or ear piercings that can be removed.
Headbands with metal: many fabric headbands have a thin internal wire for structure. If yours does, take it off.

Removable dental appliances like retainers can sometimes be taken out as well, though the technologist will advise you based on the specific scan protocol. The key principle is simple: if it is metal, if it is near your head, and if you can take it off, take it off.

What You Can Usually Keep On

Because the scanner is focused on your head, your clothing from the chest down is almost never an issue. Jeans with a metal button, a belt with a buckle, shoes with steel shanks: none of these will appear in a head CT’s field of view. You can wear them without concern.

For your upper body, a plain t-shirt, a soft pullover, or a hoodie without a metal zipper near the neckline is ideal. If your shirt has a zipper that stops well below your collarbone, it is likely fine, but the technologist may ask you to pull it down or tuck it to keep it out of the scan range. Sports bras with metal clasps or underwire bras sit far below the head scanning field and almost never cause problems for a head-only CT, unlike chest or abdominal scans where they frequently need to come off.

A good rule of thumb: pick a top that you could pull over your head without snagging on anything metallic. If there is no metal touching your neck, jaw, ears, or scalp, you are almost certainly dressed appropriately.

Dental Work and Braces

This is the part of head CT preparation that frustrates both patients and radiologists, because you obviously cannot remove permanent dental work before walking into the scanner. Metal-based dental materials like amalgam fillings, crowns, bridges, and orthodontic braces produce some of the most severe artifacts in head and neck CT imaging.² These metallic objects distort the X-ray data so significantly that they create starburst-shaped streaks radiating outward from the metal, obscuring nearby structures.²

Dental amalgams are among the most common sources of artifacts in head and neck images.³ These artifacts can affect image quality and make it harder to visualize lesions in the oral cavity and surrounding areas.⁴ The good news is that radiologists are well aware of this issue and have software tools and scanning techniques designed to reduce the impact. If the reason for your scan is something in the brain itself, far above your jaw, the dental artifacts are unlikely to obscure the area of interest. If the scan needs to evaluate structures closer to the mouth, the radiologist may adjust the scanning angle or apply metal artifact reduction algorithms during image processing.

You do not need to do anything special to prepare for dental artifacts. Just mention your dental work to the technologist when you check in. If you have full metal braces, extensive bridgework, or multiple amalgam fillings, flagging this ahead of time helps the team plan the best scanning approach.

Wearable Medical Devices

Continuous glucose monitors, insulin pumps, and other wearable medical devices are increasingly common, and patients understandably worry about whether imaging procedures will damage them or require removal. For CT scanning specifically, the evidence is reassuring. A study testing continuous glucose monitoring sensors under high-exposure conditions during X-ray, CT, and MRI found that all sensors passed acceptance criteria after each session. Data stored in the sensors before the exposures remained intact, and the sensors maintained full functionality afterward.⁵

The sensors were also easily visible and identifiable on the images, meaning that a radiologist reviewing the scan can clearly see the device and distinguish it from actual anatomical findings. Based on these results, patients can typically continue to wear and use their sensors during and after imaging.⁵ That said, for a head CT, a glucose monitor on your abdomen or arm is well outside the scanning field and creates no imaging concern at all. Mention any wearable device to the technologist regardless, since protocols vary between facilities.

Do You Need a Hospital Gown?

For many head CT appointments, no. The scan covers your skull and possibly the upper cervical spine, so your clothing below the shoulders is irrelevant to image quality. If you show up in a plain shirt with no metal near the neck, the technologist will often let you stay in your own clothes and simply have you remove jewelry and hair accessories.

There are exceptions. Some facilities have a blanket gowning policy for all CT patients regardless of scan type, usually for workflow consistency rather than imaging necessity. If you are an inpatient or coming from the emergency department, you may already be in a gown. And if you arrive wearing a top with a metal zipper that runs up to your chin or a hoodie with metal grommets around the hood, the technologist may hand you a gown rather than trying to adjust your clothing around the scan.

If avoiding a gown matters to you for comfort or modesty, the simplest approach is to wear a metal-free top. A cotton crew-neck shirt is the safest bet. Call the imaging center ahead of time if you want to confirm their policy, since some centers are stricter than others.

Staying Comfortable in the Scanning Room

One thing almost nobody warns you about is the temperature. CT scanner rooms are kept cool to protect the equipment. The scanners generate substantial heat, and the sensitive electronics need consistent, lower temperatures to function correctly. For you as a patient, this means lying still on a hard table in a cold room while wearing thin clothing or a hospital gown, which does not exactly help with relaxation.⁶

A head CT is fast, usually just a few minutes from start to finish, so the cold is more of an annoyance than a real problem. But if you tend to get chilly easily, here are a few things that help. Wear warm layers on your lower body: sweatpants, warm socks, even a blanket over your legs are all fine since nothing below your shoulders is in the scan field. Bring a jacket or sweater you can slip back on between check-in and the actual scan. Most facilities also have warm blankets available if you ask.

The cold room can make some people tense their muscles, including the neck and jaw, which the technologist may notice because head CTs require you to stay very still. If you feel yourself clenching, take a slow breath and try to let your shoulders drop. The scan itself is painless and quick, so the discomfort is brief.

Cosmetics, Hair Products, and Hair Extensions

Everyday makeup and standard hair products like gel, mousse, or hairspray are not a concern for a CT scan. CT uses X-rays, and the trace amounts of minerals in cosmetic formulations do not produce meaningful artifacts on CT images the way they sometimes can with MRI. You do not need to arrive bare-faced or with freshly washed hair.

Hair extensions and wigs are a slightly different consideration. Clip-in extensions attached with metal clips should be removed, just like any other metal accessory. Sewn-in or glued extensions with no metal components are generally fine, though they may add bulk that makes it slightly harder to position your head in the head holder. If you wear a wig secured with metal combs or pins, those metal pieces need to come out, but a wig held on with an adhesive or a friction grip is not a problem. Let the technologist know about any hair additions so they can make sure your head is centered properly in the scanner’s head rest.

Some decorative hair accessories contain metal even when they do not look like it. Rhinestone-studded headbands, sparkly clips, and beaded hair ties can all have hidden metallic elements. When in doubt, leave the fancy accessories at home and tie your hair back with a plain elastic band.

What About Radiation Shielding for the Rest of Your Body?

You might wonder whether you should be wearing a lead apron or thyroid shield during a head CT to protect the rest of your body from scattered radiation. The answer is nuanced and has been shifting in recent years. A broad review of guidelines on patient shielding during medical imaging found that recommendations vary widely across professional bodies and countries. In general, shielding is recommended only if it does not compromise the diagnostic task and if it reassures the patient.⁷

Several major radiology organizations have moved away from routinely draping patients with lead shielding during CT, because the scattered radiation dose to areas outside the scan field is already extremely low, and a poorly placed shield can actually interfere with the scanner’s automatic dose control, paradoxically increasing the dose. For a head CT specifically, the X-ray beam is tightly focused on the skull, so exposure to the torso and pelvis is minimal. If you want a thyroid shield or lead apron placed on your chest for peace of mind, you can ask, and many facilities will accommodate you. But it is increasingly viewed as optional rather than essential for a head-only scan.

Contrast Dye and Clothing Prep

Some head CT scans are done with intravenous contrast, a dye injected through a vein in your arm that makes blood vessels and certain tissues show up more clearly. If your scan involves contrast, the technologist will place an IV line, usually in the inside of your elbow or the back of your hand. This is worth knowing for clothing purposes: wear a top with sleeves that can be easily pushed or rolled above the elbow. A tight long-sleeve shirt that bunches awkwardly at the bicep can make IV placement harder and slower.

Contrast injections sometimes cause a warm flushing sensation that spreads through your body, and a small number of people feel mildly nauseous. Wearing comfortable, breathable clothing helps here. Tight collars or constricting necklines can make the warm flush feel more claustrophobic than it actually is. If you know your scan involves contrast, a loose-fitting, short-sleeved shirt is the most practical choice.

You will likely be asked about allergies, kidney function, and medications before contrast is given, but none of this changes what you wear. The preparation for contrast is medical, not wardrobe-related, beyond making sure the technologist can access your arm easily.

Piercings You Cannot or Will Not Remove

Some piercings, particularly newer ones that are still healing, cannot safely be removed and reinserted without risking the piercing closing or becoming infected. If you have a piercing near the scan area that you truly cannot take out, tell the technologist before the scan starts. In many cases, they can still proceed with the scan, and the radiologist will interpret the images knowing that the artifact from that one piercing is present. A single small stud produces a much more limited artifact than, say, a mouthful of dental metal, and the radiologist can often read around it.

If the piercing is on the opposite side of the head from the area being evaluated, the artifact may not matter at all. If the piercing artifact does overlap with the region of clinical interest, the radiologist will note the limitation in their report, and your doctor may order a follow-up with a different imaging approach if needed. The worst outcome is that the scan has to be partially repeated or supplemented, not that you have caused any safety issue. Nobody is going to force you to rip out a healing piercing. Just be upfront about it.

What to Bring With You

Beyond dressing appropriately, a few practical items make the appointment smoother. Bring a small bag or zippered pouch for your jewelry and accessories. Imaging centers usually provide a locker or a bin, but small earring backs and delicate chains have a way of getting lost in the shuffle. Having your own pouch means you can take everything off in the changing area and stash it securely.

If you are anxious about the scan, bring earbuds or a distraction for the waiting room, though you will need to remove earbuds before the scan itself. Arrive a few minutes early so you are not rushing to strip off accessories while the technologist waits. And if you have previous imaging from another facility that is relevant to why this scan was ordered, bring a copy on disc or have it sent digitally. This does not affect your clothing choice, but it helps the radiologist compare old and new images and can make the final report more useful to your doctor.

1
PubMed. Current and Novel Techniques for Metal Artifact Reduction at CT: Practical Guide for Radiologists
2
PLoS ONE. Artifacts In Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Computed Tomography Caused By Dental Materials
3
PubMed Central. Development of a stereoscopic CT metal artifact management algorithm using gantry angle tilts for head and neck patients
4
Investigative Radiology. Normalized Metal Artifact Reduction in Head and Neck Computed Tomography
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PubMed Central. Safety and Functional Integrity of Continuous Glucose Monitoring Sensors When Used During Radiologic Procedures Under High Exposure Conditions
6
Open Journal of Radiology and Medical Imaging. Cold CT scanner rooms: A simple solution for the patient comfort and for hypothermia cases
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PubMed. Use of out-of-field contact shielding on patients in medical imaging: A review of current guidelines, recommendations and legislative documents