Answer first: subcutaneous means into the fat layer beneath the dermis, and at the volumes discussed here the technique is forgiving as long as the needle is short and the site is pinched appropriately.
A 4 mm needle inserted at ninety degrees reaches subcutaneous tissue in essentially all adults without a skin fold. A 6 or 8 mm needle in a lean person may benefit from a lifted skin fold, or from a forty-five-degree angle.
Concentration and unit conversion at a glance
| Vial | Diluent | Concentration | 0.25 mg | 0.5 mg | 1 mg | 2.5 mg |
|---|
| 5 mg | 1 mL | 5 mg/mL | 5 u | 10 u | 20 u | 50 u |
| 5 mg | 2 mL | 2.5 mg/mL | 10 u | 20 u | 40 u | 100 u |
| 10 mg | 1 mL | 10 mg/mL | 2.5 u | 5 u | 10 u | 25 u |
| 10 mg | 2 mL | 5 mg/mL | 5 u | 10 u | 20 u | 50 u |
| 10 mg | 3 mL | 3.33 mg/mL | 7.5 u | 15 u | 30 u | 75 u |
Units are U-100 insulin units, where 1 unit = 0.01 mL. Divide dose by concentration for millilitres, then multiply by 100.
Lipohypertrophy — a firm thickened area from repeated injection into the same spot — is the reason rotation matters. Injecting into it produces erratic and generally reduced absorption.
The caveat is that this describes technique, and research-use compounds are not approved for human use in any jurisdiction.
Abdomen, thigh or upper outer arm. Rotate within the region, two centimetres apart.
edited 28 Jun 2026 by rota_site — clarified the distinction between purity and content