Glossary
Subcutaneous injection
Also called SubQ, Sub-Q, SC injection, SQ injection, Subcut
A shot into the fat layer just under the skin. It is the route most injectable peptides use, usually with a short, fine insulin needle.
In more detail
MedlinePlus lists the belly, the outer upper thighs and the back of the upper arms as common sites. The usual method is to pinch about an inch of skin and fat, insert the needle at 90 degrees (or 45 degrees if there is little fat), inject, and withdraw. It also advises keeping belly shots at least 2 inches from the navel and spacing each new shot at least an inch from the last one.
Expert insulin recommendations favor the shortest needles, such as 6 mm on syringes, because they reach the fat layer reliably without going into muscle.
Why it matters
Subcutaneous absorption is slower and steadier than intramuscular, and the technique is simple to do at home. Rotating sites prevents lumps under the skin. See Sterile technique for peptide injections.
Related terms
- Intramuscular injectionA shot into muscle, such as the thigh, shoulder or glute. It needs a longer needle than a subcutaneous shot and is less common for peptides.
- Injection site rotationMoving 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.
- Needle gaugeA number for needle thickness. Higher gauge means a thinner needle: a 31G needle is finer than a 29G.
- Alcohol swabA single-use pad soaked in isopropyl alcohol, used to wipe a vial stopper or the skin before a shot.
- 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.
Peptides where this comes up
Sources
Each source is labeled by where the information comes from. How we label sources
- Reference workSubcutaneous (SQ) injections(opens in a new tab)
MedlinePlus (U.S. National Library of Medicine) · checked
- Reference workFrid AH et al. 2016, New insulin delivery recommendations (FITTER), Mayo Clin Proc(opens in a new tab)
PubMed · checked
- Reference workSubcutaneous injection(opens in a new tab)
Wikipedia · checked
Updated