In places of thickening there was a change in subcutaneous fat. This is not only a cosmetic defect. If you continue to administer insulin to the place where this has occurred, then you may not expect the insulin to work effectively. In these places, it is absorbed slowly and alternately, which can lead to both unexpected hyperglycemia and a spontaneous decrease in sugar levels.
Lipohypertrophy is not always visible. At the stage of formation, it can be detected by touch or by ultrasound. Check injection sites regularly!
By palpation it will be a harder area than the tissue around it. But there are cases that are not associated with changes in the subcutaneous fat, but just one of the injections was made incorrectly and when it got into the vessel there was bleeding, and as a result there was a bruise in this area.
Avoid the appearance of lipohypertrophy by following all recommendations for insulin administration:
- frequent change of injection site,
- regular change of needle,
- selection of a suitable length of needle,
- correct method of drug administration,
- crushing large doses of insulin (over 10-16 units) into several injections,
- observe the necessary distance between places of injection,
- observe the rate of administration of insulin, etc.
If a lump nevertheless arose, then injections should not be made in this place. You need to wait until the bump disappears. Some pass in a few days, while others remain on the body for a long time.
How to get rid of lipohypertrophy
To get rid of lumps that do not pass for a long time, you can resort to using various ointments, massage sessions and various types of physiotherapy.
At home, it is convenient to use apparatus for physiotherapy such as DUNA-T (photo-therapy) or darsonval apparatus (electric shock small scale, but high frequency and voltage). The use of physiotherapy promotes faster healing of skin lesions after injection, and also helps to get rid of lumps caused by injection.
Now you know what to do to avoid the formation of insulin lumps.