Problem: Article: Manage the swelling and pain by icing, compressing, and elevating the finger. The faster after the injury you give this type of first aid, the better. Make sure that you are also resting your finger.  Ice the finger. Wrap a bag of frozen vegetables or an icepack in a thin towel and apply it gently to your finger to help reduce your swelling and pain. Apply ice immediately after you sustain the injury for no longer than 20 minutes as needed. Compress the injury. Gently but securely wrap your finger with a soft elastic bandage to help manage the swelling and immobilize the finger. At your initial appointment with your doctor, ask if it is appropriate to keep your finger wrapped in order to reduce your risk of bringing on additional swelling and to keep from impeding movement of other fingers. Elevate the hand. When possible, keep your finger elevated above your heart. You may find it most comfortable to sit on a couch with your legs over the cushions and your wrist and fingers resting on the back of the couch. You also should not use the injured finger for everyday activities until cleared by your doctor. Splints are used to immobilize your fractured finger to keep it from developing further damage. A makeshift splint may be crafted out of a popsicle stick and a loose bandage until you get to the doctor for a better wrapping.  The kind of splint you need varies according to which finger is fractured. Minor fractures may benefit from “buddy taping,” which consists of immobilizing the injured finger by taping it to the finger next to it. A dorsal extension-block splint keeps your injured finger from bending backward. A soft splint is placed to keep your injured finger slightly and gently curved toward the palm and is held in place with soft fastenings. An aluminum u-shaped splint is an inflexible aluminum splint that keeps the injured finger from extending. It is placed on the back of the injured finger to keep it immobile.  In more severe cases, your doctor may apply an inflexible fiberglass splint that goes from your finger to past your wrist. It's essentially like a mini-cast for your finger. Surgery is required to properly treat and heal a fracture when immobilization and time cannot effectively fix it. In general, fractures that require surgery are more complicated than those that only require immobilization. A compound fracture, a fracture that is unstable, loose bone fragments, and a fracture that compromises a joint all require surgery because the broken pieces need to be guided back into place in order for the bone to heal in the right configuration. Your doctor may recommend you take non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) to help manage pain associated with a broken finger. NSAIDs work by reducing negative effects of long term inflammation, and alleviating pain and pressure put on the nerves and associated tissues. NSAIDs do not inhibit the healing process.  Common over-the-counter NSAID medications used for managing fracture pain include ibuprofen (Advil) and naproxen sodium (Aleve). You can also take acetaminophen (Tylenol), but it is not an NSAID and does not reduce inflammation.  Your doctor may also give you a codeine-based prescription medication for short term management if you experience major pain. The pain is more likely to be worse at the beginning of the healing process, and your doctor will reduce your prescription strength as the bone heals. Your doctor may instruct you to make a follow-up appointment a few weeks after your initial treatment. She may repeat X-rays 1-2 weeks after the injury to see how it's healing. Make sure you keep any follow-up appointments to ensure that you're on the mend. If you have questions about your injury or anything else, contact your doctor's office. In general, fractured fingers heal very well after consultation with a doctor and a 4-6 week healing period. The risks for complications following a finger fracture are minimal, but it is still good for you to be aware of them:  Joint stiffness may occur as a result of scar tissue forming around the fracture site. This can be addressed with physical therapy to strengthen the finger muscles and reduce the scar tissue. A section of the finger bone may rotate during the healing process, resulting in a bony deformity that may need to be addressed by surgery to help you grasp things properly. The two pieces of the bone may not fuse together properly, resulting in permanent instability within the fracture site. This is known as “nonunion.” Skin infection may occur if there are lacerations to the fracture site and they are not properly cleaned prior to surgery.
Summary: Ice, compress and elevate. Ask your doctor if you need a splint. Ask your doctor if you need a surgery. Take pain medicines. Follow up with your doctor or specialist as directed. Understand the complications.

Problem: Article: Lemon juice contains citric acid which is a natural bleaching agent. Therefore, applying lemon juice to elbows can help to lighten the skin. To use:  Cut a large lemon in half. Squeeze out some of the juice from both halves so that you have two hollow halves or "cups". Rub each lemon cup over your elbows. You can rub away any excess pulp, but don't wash your elbows for about 3 hours. This gives the lemon juice time to act more deeply. Wash off the lemon juice with some warm water. As lemon juice can be drying, you should moisturize the area with your favorite body moisturizer. Repeat this every day until the dark skin begins to fade. You should see a significant difference within a couple of weeks. A mixture of heavy cream and turmeric works well to lighten the skin on elbows, particularly on people with darker skin tones. Turmeric is a natural bleaching agent which helps to reduce melanin in the skin.   Get some heavy cream (or milk with a high fat content) and boil it until it thickens and becomes clotted. Mix in a half teaspoon of turmeric and blend into a paste. Apply this paste to your elbows (and knees) using a circular motion, let it sit for about 20 minutes, and then rinse it off with water.  Be aware that turmeric can dye the skin a yellowish-orange color that’s especially noticeable on pale skin. The color will fade after a day or two. You can also substitute yogurt for the heavy cream. You won’t need to boil it to achieve the same color-changing effect. This remedy helps to lighten elbows as milk contains lactic acid which reduces skin pigmentation, while the baking soda helps to exfoliate dead skin cells.  Mix enough milk to turn the baking soda into a paste. Apply on your elbows and gently scrub it in a circular motion. Do this for about 3 minutes or until you notice that your skin is lighter. These combinations contains both lactic and acetic acid, which each help lighten your skin color.  To use, combine one teaspoon of yogurt with one teaspoon of white vinegar or lemon juice and mix until they form a consistent paste. Apply to your elbows by rubbing in a circular motion. Leave the mixture on for 20 minutes, and then rinse off and moisturize. Buttermilk can lighten your skin by bleaching and moisturizing it. Oatmeal and almonds can both work as exfoliants and remove dead skin cells.  Grind the oatmeal and almonds and combine them with the buttermilk to create a paste. Rub the paste onto your elbows in a circular motion. Let the paste sit on your elbows for 10-15 minutes and then rinse it off with water.
Summary:
Use lemon juice. Apply heavy cream and turmeric if you have a darker complexion. Make a paste using milk and baking soda. Try mixing yogurt and vinegar or lemon juice. Create a mixture of almonds, buttermilk, and oatmeal.