Use of dexamethasone in treatment of insulin lipoatrophy.

To treat insulin lipoatrophy, small amounts of dexamethasone (4 micrograms/unit) were added to insulin injections in nine patients. Six cases showed significant improvement of dexamethasone-treated sites over that of control sites in six months. With the continued use of dexamethasone-containing insulin, they remained mostly free of atrophic areas during the follow-up period of over two years. Our experience suggests the usefulness of this therapy.