How to improve needle control when injecting!

Needle control can be difficult/challenging to master.

If the client see’s the needle shaking near their face, they could lose trust in your skills.

And on the worst cases they may need you to stop the procedure as they feel unsafe.

Below are 6 techniques that Dr Tim implements to have the most control when using a needle:

1. Control & stabilise

Control starts with your feet.

Start with your feet shoulder distance apart and with equal weight distributed across them.

Stabilise your upper body by leaning against the bed and stabilise your arm below the elbow.

You can stabilise your hand at the wrist by resting it on the top of the bed or the patient’s shoulder, forehead or cheek.

2. Position the patient

Make sure the patient’s head is resting against the head of the bed and not being held up by their neck muscles.

If the patient’s neck is supporting the head, it won’t be able to completely resist the force of an injection piercing the skin.

With your supporting hand, control the patients head position and the surface of the skin.

3. Make sure the needle is sharp

After a needle has been used a few times it becomes dull, this increases the force required to penetrate the skin.

The problem is the skin is tough on the outside and the tissue is much easier to penetrate.

After it breaks through the epidermis, the skin snaps forward and the needle penetrates much deeper than intended and is more likely to traumatise arteries & veins.

4. Depth & speed

Inject as superficially as possible, taking the anatomy into account.

Injecting around the eyes is much less likely to bruise if you only just penetrate the dermis; 1-2mm is usually enough.

Beneath this depth is a venous plexus and bruising is very likely.

Withdraw your needles slowly, especially when deep.

This will give the layers of tissue time to close and decrease blood pooling.

5. Limit the amount of injections

It’s also useful to reduce the number of injections wherever possible, this can be done by fanning when you are injecting dermal fillers.

In certain places you may be able to deliver product in two distinct areas by using the same entry point.

If you partially withdraw, change the angle and strategically place injections it can reduce the total number of penetrations required.

6. Consider the type of needle you are using

Use a cannula for dermal fillers where it’s possible.

One thing to remember is, the entry point is more likely to bruise due to the large bore needle used to create a pilot hole.

If you are not able to pass the cannula through a low resistance space the cannula itself can cause trauma to the skin.

Needle control can benefit you as well as the client.

It gives you the confidence in your own skills, allows you to be comfortable when treating and demonstrate you are a master to your client.

Want to know how you can further reduce the side effects when you inject?

Can you reduce the side effects of an Injection?