Do you always inject medicine into the same spot? Be aware of these lumps (Lipohypertrophy)

Are you someone who gets injections every day for diabetes or another medical condition? If so, have you ever noticed small lumps or thickening of the skin under your skin where you often get injections? You may not pay much attention to it. But, this is something we definitely need to talk about. We medically call this condition Lipohypertrophy. Although it is not dangerous, it is important to be aware of it because it can affect our treatment.

What exactly is Lipohypertrophy?

Simply put, this means that when you repeatedly inject the same area, fat cells and scar tissue accumulate under the skin, forming a hard, rubbery lump. It's like piling dirt in one place and creating a small hill.

Imagine that you inject insulin into the right side of your stomach every day. Over time, that area can become slightly swollen and form a lump that you can hold in your hand. The fat cells inside these lumps are about twice as large as the fat cells in normal skin. That's what lipohypertrophy is. These are most common in areas where you get regular injections, such as around your belly button and in the middle of your thighs.

How do you recognize these characteristics exactly?

If you suspect you have this condition, rub the injection site a little harder. Check for the symptoms below. This chart will help you with that.

At first, this may feel like a slight thickening of the skin, but later on, you may lose sensation in those areas. That's why it's important to be aware of this. If you have any doubts about this, the best thing to do is to see your doctor and get advice.

Why is this happening? Who is at higher risk?

We now know the main reason: repeated injections into the same area .

More than 62% of people with diabetes (Type 1 and Type 2) may develop this condition. In particular, the risk is about twice as high for people taking medium or long-acting insulin compared to short-acting insulin. This is because long-acting insulin stays at the injection site longer, which allows more room for fat and protein to accumulate.

In addition to diabetes, this condition can also occur in people who continuously take injections for diseases like HIV.

There are several factors that generally increase the risk:

• Having type 1 diabetes.
• Reusing the same needle repeatedly . This is a mistake that many people make.
• Taking multiple insulin injections per day.
• Use of insulin pen devices.
• This risk is higher for people with a low body mass index (BMI), meaning they are thin.

So, can't this be prevented?

The good news is, this can be easily prevented. We call itIt's called 'Injection Site Rotation'.

This is the best and simplest method . Imagine that you can inject in several places, such as the stomach, thighs, and upper arms. If you injected in the right side of the stomach today, tomorrow, inject in the left side. The day after tomorrow, inject in the right thigh. It is very important to give each site a break in this way. Ask your doctor or the nurse at the diabetes clinic about a rotation plan for changing these sites.

The other important thing is to use a new needle for each injection . Using old needles increases the risk of tissue damage and this condition developing.

Some people like to inject into the same areas where the bumps are, because they are numb and don't hurt. But that can make things worse. If it hurts when you inject into a new area, use the smallest needle possible. Talk to your doctor about this.

Okay, now that I've developed this, what is the treatment?

If you've already developed these bumps, don't worry. There are things you can do about that too.

1. Stop injecting the area where the lump is. This is the first and most important step. Do not inject again until the area is completely healed.

2. Start site rotation. As mentioned earlier, rotate your injections to other areas with healthy skin.

3. Always use a new needle.

4. Talk to your doctor. You may need to change the type or dose of your insulin.

These bumps can take several months, sometimes a year or two, to heal. So you need to be patient.

Why is it important to treat these lumps?

Therefore, if you have lumps like this, be sure to show them to your doctor and get advice on whether you need to change your insulin dose and what to do.

Let's also learn about the surgery called Liposuction.

This is not something that is done for everyone. Doctors may recommend this surgery (liposuction) as a last resort only if, despite all other treatments, the lumps have become very large and are significantly affecting your life.

This involves surgically removing the excess fat that has accumulated. This can cure the lump immediately and permanently. However, since this is a cosmetic surgery, it is only used in cases of extreme necessity.