Insulin is not absorbed at the same speed at all sites

Injection sites - Full body
  • Abdomen and thighs are the most common injection sites.1
  • At least 1 cm distance from the navel for adults. At least 3 cm distance from the navel for children.
  • Injection sites on the abdomen allow rapid insulin absorption.
  • Injection sites on the thighs and buttocks allow slower insulin absorption for some insulins.
  • The effect of analog insulins is less dependent on the injection site.
  • Follow the recommendations given by your healthcare professional.

Rotation principle for injection sites – Avoiding lipohypertrophy

Injection sites - Belly
  • Change the injection site after every injection (rotation principle).
  • For adults, the injection sites should be at least 1 cm away from each other to avoid frequent injections into so-called “favourite sites” and thus leading to tissue hardening (lipohypertrophy).

Examples for the rotation principle

Example 1

Weekly injection site rotation - Belly
Weekly injection site rotation - Thighs

Example 2

Daily injection site rotation - Belly

Morning     Midday     Evening

Daily injection site rotation - Thighs

Morning      Evening

Example 3

Injection places (with dots) - Belly
Injection places (with dots) - Thighs

1 Upper arms as injection sites: injections into the upper arms should only be performed after training by your healthcare professional. The reason is a higher risk of injecting into the muscle as the subcutaneous fatty tissue is usually thin and injection sites are not easily accessible.