Glossary
Injection site rotation
Also called Site rotation, Rotating injection sites, Rotation chart
Moving each shot to a new spot, and cycling across areas like the belly, thighs and arms, so no one patch of skin takes repeated injections.
In more detail
Repeated shots in the same place can cause lipohypertrophy: rubbery lumps of fatty tissue under the skin. In a study of 430 insulin users, about two-thirds had these lumps, and correct rotation was the strongest protection: only 5% of people who rotated correctly had them. Reusing needles more than five times raised the risk.
The usual pattern: pick an area, place each new shot at least an inch from the last, and move around the area in a set order before switching areas.
Why it matters
Lumps absorb medication unevenly. With insulin that shows up as unpredictable blood sugar; with peptides it can mean a dose that does less than it should.
Related terms
- Subcutaneous injectionA shot into the fat layer just under the skin. It is the route most injectable peptides use, usually with a short, fine insulin needle.
- Sterile techniqueThe set of habits that keep germs out of a vial, syringe and injection site: clean hands, swabbed stoppers and skin, new needles, and never touching anything that should stay sterile.
- Needle gaugeA number for needle thickness. Higher gauge means a thinner needle: a 31G needle is finer than a 29G.
Peptides where this comes up
Sources
Each source is labeled by where the information comes from. How we label sources
- Clinical studyBlanco M et al. 2013, Prevalence and risk factors of lipohypertrophy in insulin-injecting patients with diabetes, Diabetes Metab(opens in a new tab)
PubMed · checked
- Reference workSubcutaneous (SQ) injections(opens in a new tab)
MedlinePlus (U.S. National Library of Medicine) · checked
- Reference workLipohypertrophy(opens in a new tab)
Wikipedia · checked
- Competitor guidePeptide injection sites and rotation guide(opens in a new tab)
peptiq.io · checked
Updated