Why does insulin cause lipoatrophy?
Lipohypertrophy is thought to be the direct anabolic effect of insulin on local skin leading to fat and protein synthesis9 and hence this is observed even with recombinant insulin preparations and continuous insulin infusion pumps. This complication occurs because of repeated injections at the same site.
Is lipoatrophy a side effect of insulin?
Insulin lipohypertrophy denotes to a benign tumor like swelling of fatty tissue at the injection site secondary to lipogenic effect of insulin, whereas lipoatrophy is considered an adverse immunological side effect of insulin therapy.
Can you get rid of scar tissue from insulin injections?
“What most people think is scar tissue is actually insulin lipohypertrophy — localized hypertrophy of subcutaneous fat at insulin injection sites, caused by the lipogenic effect of insulin. If you have a lump or thickened area, best treatment is to leave it alone. That is why all the info about site rotation.
How long does it take for lipohypertrophy to go away?
Treating lipohypertrophy Avoiding the injection site is one of the most important parts of treatment for most people. It can take anywhere from weeks to months (and sometimes up to a year) before you may see any improvement.
What is lipodystrophy insulin?
Lipodystrophy is one of the clinical complications of insulin injection that affects insulin absorption and leads to poor glycemic control.
What is insulin edema?
Insulin edema is a rare complication of insulin therapy that can occur after the initiation of insulin. Various timelines to the initiation of insulin have been reported after insulin therapy. Here, we report the occurrence of generalized edema in a 40-year-old woman early after the initiation of insulin.
How do you reduce swelling from insulin?
Avoid muscle, inject into fat
- Pinch up the skin at the injection site. This will help separate fat from muscle, helping to ensure that insulin is injected into the fat (not the muscle).
- Ask your doctor about using a shorter needle (pen needle tips: 4mm or 5 mm; syringes: 6 mm).
How do you get rid of an injection lump?
Treatment for post-injection inflammation
- Cold packs. These help reduce swelling, itching, and pain.
- Over-the-counter pain medicines. These help reduce pain and inflammation.
- Prescription medicine. These treat infection.
How do you treat injection site lumps?
Why do I get a lump when I inject insulin?
Lumps and bumps from insulin are called lipohypertrophy. This is a medical word for a lump under the skin from an accumulation of fat at the site of many insulin injections. Scar tissue may also develop at the sites.
Why does insulin bubble under skin?
A bump means you may have injected the insulin just under the skin instead of into fat tissue. The needle may not have gone deep enough, or you may have been pulling the needle out before the plunger reached the bottom of the syringe. Or you may be using the same injection site repeatedly.