i hope this is right place to post this.
Alright when i was 16 I got crazy dots tatted on my right hand between my thumb and index finger.
recently they started fading away, so i got them redone even though i'm not about the life anymore it would have looked ugly.
anyway it's been a week and it's still swollen and itchy, we used ink from a government pen and a safety pin.
is it infected or something?

Did you sterilize the safety pin?

Do you have any idea what the pin touched before you used it?

My guess is, its probably infected.

How deep did you go? It might be ok just to use some neosporin, or hydrogen peroxide, but if you went deep and its throbbing/red/hot you should have it looked at.

thanks shelster. i did sterilize the pin i heated it up then dipped it in alcohol.

thanks for your help.

Ink from a "government pen"?

I'm assuming this is not nontoxic tattoo ink or Indian ink, thus could contain just about anything.

I would recommend taking another "government pen" with you to doctor and find out if the ink was non-toxic, that and have it checked for infection.

BTW not only the pin could carry infection, but your own skin could have had some nasty bugs on it. Did you swap the area first with alcohol? Did you wear latex gloves on the work hand (I can't imagine all of the germs under your fingernails - humans tend to carry a lot of hitchhikers there).

The ink itself could carry germs as well - depending on its chemistry. I doubt that Pen makers consider pen ink as having to be sterile for writing....

dude, all i did was light the pin up then sterilize it with alcohol. no latex glove or nothing. the government pen is those ones that are black with a circular metal piece in the middle.
and it says property of US Government on the side.
like the kind you would get off a military base.
it's ok though it doesn't hurt anymore. i think it was just a lil bit sore than usual because the guy pressed to hard.

Dude,

You do some pretty "stupid" things at times. And I (at least) do care enough about you to try to cover all bases in my replies to you.

You remind me of my nephew who is constantly doing "stupid" things. Better yet, you remind me of my younger self who did a whole bunch of really stupid stuff .

Real stupid - very stupid... Sometimes I am amazed I survived my 20's.

thanks DvdGStwrt!

crap, I'm amazed I'm actually still alive,
hahaha....