How to inject insulin

Insulin sites: thighs, abdomen, and buttocks

What is a good insulin injection technique? Some people put the needle straight into the skin, and others prefer to pinch up a skin fold Put the needle into the skin at a 90º angle Push the plunger slowly to give insulin – if you push fast it might sting. Leave the needle in the skin for at least 10 seconds when you’ve put all the insulin in. This gives the insulin time to be absorbed. Pull the needle from the skin If you have pinched up, let go of the lifted skin Dispose of the needle safely Please can we find an alternative picture with no pinch??

Pinching up skin

The needle must go into the fat layer of the skin The needle must go into the fat layer of the skin. If it goes deeper into the muscle the the insulin can be absorbed much quicker, and sometimes cause hypos.

Why should you rotate sites, and do your injection properly Why should you rotate sites, and do your injection properly? After all, is it not all about just getting insulin into your skin? These fatty lumps are called Lipohypertrophy. You might have heard of them? What it means is that the fat underneath has became hard and scarred because of having a lot of injections in the same place. With the fat being scarred it might cause problems with insulin being absorbed when it is injected. This can cause high blood glucose levels (as the insulin just sits in the skin and isn’t absorbed), or it might all be absorbed and cause hypos.

What can you do? Always use a new needle for each injection. Always rotate injection sites. It is very important to rotate insulin injection sites and don’t stick to the same spot. If you do stick to the same place you might notice the area is numb and you can’t feel it. This may sound good, but it means you have damaged and scarred the tissue underneath, and may start to get lipohypertrophy or fatty lumps.

Finally, insulin storage An insulin vial or pen that you are using can be kept at room temperature for 1 month. Do you not put insulin beside a radiator or windowsill where it could become warm. Spare insulin should be stored in a refrigerator, but not in or near the freezer compartment. If insulin has a frosted or crystallised appearance it should be thrown away as it has gone off.