Lancets are small, sterile, single-use needles or blades designed for minimally invasive skin punctures to obtain capillary blood samples, primarily for at-home glucose monitoring in diabetes management but also for hemoglobin, cholesterol, or allergy testing. Types include twist-top (universal 28-33G fine gauge for lancing devices), safety (pressure-activated auto-retracting to prevent needlestick injuries), and painless/pediatric variants (shorter 30-33G tri-bevel tips for reduced pain). Insert into spring-loaded lancing devices (adjustable depth 1.0-5.5mm), prick side of fingertip or alternate sites (heel/palm), wipe first drop, apply second to test strip—discard in sharps container.