Artist's rendition of hemangioma was not realistic

To the Editor:

I am writing to express my disappointment with an article in the May 2009 issue of JAAPA. I am referring to the CME article on infantile hemangiomas. As a parent of a child with three hemangiomas, I have to tell you that the artist's rendition on the cover does not even come close to depicting what a hemangioma looks like. Instead, the picture looks like a red Bandaid or an abrasion.

Based on what I know about hemangiomas, this does not represent what the typical lesion looks like. Then, I could not believe that this CME article did not contain a single photograph of a hemangioma. The only two pictures provided were drawings. I would think that a CME article on a dermatologic condition should contain at least a picture or two of what is being described.

I discussed this article with a number of my PA colleagues who know my daughter. They agree that this was a poor attempt at helping others diagnose this condition.