Insulin pen needles and disposable syringes come in a variety of lengths and widths to suit all body types.
Needles used to be long and sharp, but due to evolutions in technology, needles are now small, thin and quite often pain-free.
From 12mm to 4mm, the needle length you choose is likely to be dictated by your size. Children will likely benefit from the shorter 6mm size.
Your healthcare team should be able to advise you on which is best your body shape. When it comes to injecting, it is essential to get the right kit and use the right technique to reduce any pain.
Hence, be careful not to fall into sloppy habits, such as failing to rotate your insulin injection sites as this might lead to irritation and soreness.
Insulin needle guides
Read product guides from Sue Marshall with user reviews for insulin needles and accessories. You can buy pens, needles and accessories from the Diabetes Shop
GlucoRx FinePoint Insulin Pen Needles are universal fit, screw o, sterile, single pen needles used in conjunction with an insulin pen for the injection of insulin.
The shortness helps guarantee that insulin injections are subcutaneous (under the skin) and not intra-muscular.
Comfort Point insulin pen needles are compatible with most commonly used pens and which are siliconised with beveling.
MyLife Penfine Needles don’t need to be screwed in and click to let you know they’re in place.
NovoFine needles from Novo Nordisk are among the shortest and thinnest available.
Owen Mumford’s Unifine Pentips are ultra-thin pen needles.
- 6mm: Unifine Pentips (6mm)
- 8mm: Unifine Pentips (8mm)
- 10mm: Unifine Pentips (10mm)
Avoid any possibility of an accidental finger prick with the Novofine Needle Remover from Novo Nordisk.
Use needles correctly
Make sure that along with rotating injection sites, you follow these rules for using needles correctly.
- Use new needles either for every injection or at least change them once a day.
- Do not inject through clothing (or only very rarely).
If you’re an ‘old hand’ at injecting, you might benefit from a quick refresher on how to inject to make sure you’re doing it correctly.
Needles ranges fit on most insulin pens
Most needle ranges fit on most insulin injection pens, including all Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly pens (Novopens and Humapens) as well as the Autopen range from Owen Mumford.
All of these needles are available on prescription.
Gauges and needle length
The measurements of needles relate to how long the needle is. When a needles measurement is 31G, the G (or g) refers to the gauge of the needle. This donates the thickness, size, or capacity.
The gauge and needle length will contribute to perceptions of pain when injecting.
The longer the needle is, the harder it is to ‘pressurise’ the insulin through so it needs a bigger hole down the middle.
