To ensure injection in subcutaneous tissue and not in muscle tissue it is recommended to hold a skin fold and inject in here. In that case pen needles can be used with the length 12/12,7mm or 8mm. Only children or very slim adults should use needles with 5/6mm length.
The injection angle can be 90° or 45° - depends on what the patient prefers.
To hold the skin fold correctly only thumb and forefinger should be used. Only skin and subcutaneous tissue should be taken by leaving muscle tissue.
The skin fold should be released after removing the needle (do not release the skin too early – this could lead to an intramuscular injection).
It is wrong if together with the skin and subcutaneous tissue also muscle tissue is elevated.
