Lancets, also sometimes referred to as blood lancets, are small medical instruments, not dissimilar to a small scalpel but which come with a double edged needle or blade. Lancets are used in order to make tiny punctures in the skin to be able to obtain small blood specimens. They are typically disposable in nature and are frequently used in the treatment of people who suffer from diabetes. The lancet is used to obtain those small blood samples which can then be tested for hemoglobin, blood glucose levels or other forms of blood components. Lancets can also be used to prick the skin in order to test for allergies.

A lancing device, also sometimes referred to as a blood sampling device, is a reusable piece of equipment which comes equipped with a lancet. These devices are generally used by sufferers of diabetes in order to monitor their blood glucose level. The lancet can sometimes be adjusted to penetrate the skin with different depths depending on the skin thickness of the individual who is using the device.

Choosing a good lancet device is not too difficult a task. They should be selected by comfort, ease of use, and safety of use. When it comes to comfort, those lancing devices such as the ones mentioned above which are capable of being adjusted to penetrate the skin at different depths can make the process considerably less painful for many patients. When it comes to ease of use, choose one which is again easy to adjust but which is also easy to trigger the lancet and thus get the process over with as quickly and simply as possible. When it comes to safety of use, always make sure to choose a lancet device which does not actually expose the lancet itself to begin with.

Lancets should not be recycled. A new lancet should always be inserted into the lancing device immediately prior to use and disposed of once it has been used.

Diabetes is now one of the most common diseases in the whole world, with the number of people suffering from diabetes having increased normally across the course of the last few years. This makes it all the more important to understand the disease and to be able to play a role in the control of your own diabetes. Regular testing of your blood glucose levels enable you to be sure that your diet, exercise and medication are succeeding in keeping your diabetes under control.