Lipohypertrophy (or “lipo”) is a thickened, rubbery swelling
under the skin that can happen to people who inject insulin or
other medications. These lumps may be soft or firm. Because it is
under the skin, you may not always be able to see lipo—you may have
to press on your skin to feel it.1
If your doctor just asked you to stop injecting into lipo, there
are a few things to keep in mind:2
• You may find injecting into healthy tissue mildly painful at
first. Using the shortest, thinnest needles can make injections
more comfortable.2
• You may need to change to a lower dose of insulin when you
start injecting into normal tissue.2 Your doctor will work with you
to make sure you are receiving the right dose.
• Work with your doctor to develop an injection rotation
pattern.
• Have your injection sites checked by your doctor at every
visit, or at least once each year.
Keeping track of your lipoUse the grids on the following pages
to mark the location of the lipo you have now and any new sites as
you find them. It is important to keep track of your sites with
lipo so you can avoid injecting into them. Show the grids to your
doctor at your next appointment.
Replace your needle every time you inject. In scientific
studies, the more people reused their needles, the more likely they
were to develop lipo.1,2
Always rotate injection sites. Practicing proper injection site
rotation gives your skin time to heal between injections.1
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References: 1. Blanco M, Hernández MT, Strauss KW, Amaya M.
Prevalence and risk factors of lipohypertrophy in insulin-injecting
patients with diabetes. Diabetes Metab. 2013;39(5):445-453. 2. Frid
AH, Kreugel G, Grassi G, et al. New insulin delivery
recommendations. Mayo Clin Proc. 2016;91(9):1231-1255.
Keeping track of your lipohypertrophy
Keep injection sites healthy
If you have just stopped injecting into lipo
Connect with BD Lipo and injectionsBD Customer Support
1.888.232.BDCARES (1.888.232.2737)Monday–Friday, 8 a.m.–8 p.m.
BD Diabetes Care Information for people with diabetes and for
healthcare professionals. bd.com/diabetes
Diabetes Innovations Join a supportive, welcoming Facebook
community to learn more about insulin delivery and healthy
living.
BD Diabetes Care Watch educational videos about diabetes and
innovative BD products. Follow the BD Diabetes Care channel on
YouTube.
What is lipohypertrophy?
If you have any questions or concerns, speak to your healthcare
professional.
1 2
There are two key strategies that diabetes experts recommend to
help reduce your risk of developing lipo:
A guide for patients
If you inject into lipo, your body may not absorb your insulin
smoothly and consistently. This can affect your blood sugar
control.2
Normal vs. enlargedadipocytes (fat cells)
Lipo visible on inspection Lipo on left identi�edby shiny skin
surface
Adipocytes (fat cells) in�ltrate the dermis (skin)
Use �rm downward pressure pushing deep into fat layer
A
B
100 µ
100 µ 1 mm
You can usually feel the edge of the lipo as a harder ridge
Lipoatrophy visibleon inspection
