USER GUIDE
Injection procedure
Step by step
Before injection
Wash hands with soap and water.
During injection
Remove the protective foil.
Important Do not click or screw on the pen needle at an angle.
Screw pen needle onto pen with outer pen needle protective cap until it engages.
Click on pen needle and press it straight down
Place the pen needle vertically on a table and click the pen onto it from above.
Remove the outer protective cap of the pen needle in upward direction and save the cap.
Remove the inner protective cap of the pen needle in upward direction and save the cap.
Check whether the injection pen is ready for injecting before every injection according to the instructions for use of the injection pen (priming).
Set the correct dose. Place pen needle on suitable injection site.
Slowly inject the Melanotan according to the instructions of your healtcare professional: to do this, press dosage button.
Allow the pen needle to remain in the fatty tissue (count to 10 slowly).
Carefully secure pen needle with the outer protective cap (only for self-injection).
Screw off pen needle.
Safely dispose of the used pen needle.
Wash hands with soap and water.
For 4 mm and 5 mm pen needle length: Hold the pen needle at a 90 degrees angle from your skin so it is straight, without creating skin fold (for some very slim adults and when injecting into the thigh, forming of a skin fold may prove necessary).
For 6 mm and 8 mm pen needle length: Injection at an angle of 90 degrees with a skin fold or 45 degrees without a skin fold.
For 6 mm and 8 mm pen needle length: Injection at an angle of 90 degrees with a skin fold or 45 degrees without a skin fold.
Mixing water and powder
The correct injection technique
The Melanotan is injected into the subcutaneous fatty tissue
1
Skin
2
Subcutaneous fatty tissue
3
Muscle
To achieve a good Melanotan dose effect it is essential to inject the Melanotan into the subcutaneous fatty tissue (subcutaneous injection) and not into the muscle.
Inject into the subcutaneous fatty tissue.
Do not inject into muscle
Broad selection of pen needle lengths – Supports your individual needs¹
A trend towards shorter and finer pen needles is apparent.
Injections with ultra short pen needles provide reliable delivery into the subcutaneous fatty tissue (subcutaneous injection) and simplify injection technique.
The thickness of the skin (epidermis and dermis) is rarely greater than 3 mm, regardless of BMI (Body Mass Index).
The correct pen needle length is crucial and is determined by your healthcare professional at the start of pen therapy.
As a rule, therapy is started with the shorter pen needles.
Correct injection technique together with the correct pen needle length can avoid injecting into the muscle.
The correct injection technique for different pen needle lengths
For 4 mm and 5 mm pen needle length: Hold the pen needle at a 90 degrees angle from your skin so it is straight, without creating skin fold (for some very slim adults and when injecting into the thigh, forming of a skin fold may prove necessary).
For 6 mm and 8 mm pen needle length: Injection at an angle of 90 degrees with a skin fold or 45 degrees without a skin fold.
For 6 mm and 8 mm pen needle length: Injection at an angle of 90 degrees with a skin fold or 45 degrees without a skin fold.
Correct forming of a skin fold
Form the skin fold using thumb and index finger (possibly also using middle finger).
Keep skin fold loose and relaxed. Do not press together hard, resulting in pain or turning the skin white.
If all fingers are used, there is a risk of also including the muscle. This can lead to an unwanted intramuscular injection.
The information provided on this website are recommendations and may under no circumstances replace professional advice and/or treatment by a trained healthcare professional.
Suitable injection sites
Insulin is not absorbed at the same speed at all sites
Abdomen and thighs are the most common injection sites.1
At least 1 cm distance from the navel for adults. At least 3 cm distance from the navel for children.
Injection sites on the abdomen allow rapid insulin absorption.
Injection sites on the thighs and buttocks allow slower insulin absorption for some insulins.
The effect of analog insulins is less dependent on the injection site.
Follow the recommendations given by your healthcare professional.
Rotation principle for injection sites – Avoiding lipohypertrophy
Change the injection site after every injection (rotation principle).
For adults, the injection sites should be at least 1 cm away from each other to avoid frequent injections into so-called “favourite sites” and thus leading to tissue hardening (lipohypertrophy).
Examples for the rotation principle
Example 1
Example 2
Example 3
1 Upper arms as injection sites: injections into the upper arms should only be performed after training by your healthcare professional. The reason is a higher risk of injecting into the muscle as the subcutaneous fatty tissue is usually thin and injection sites are not easily accessible.
