Health Dictionary Find a Doctor

Café au lait spot

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]

Associate Editor-In-Chief: Cafer Zorkun, M.D., Ph.D. [2]


Café au lait spots or cafe-au-lait spots (CAL) are pigmented birthmarks.

Etymology

The name café au lait is French for “coffee with milk” and refers to their light-brown color in persons with light skin. It will appear as a darker lesion café noir in people with dark skin.

Pathophysiology

While café au lait spots are usually not associated with any medical problems, having many (three or more) such spots is linked with neurofibromatosis and the rare McCune-Albright syndrome.

Also, having six or more of such spots greater than 5 mm in diameter prepubertal or greater than 15 mm in diameter postpubertal children is a cardinal diagnostic feature of Neurofibromatosis type I.

Differential Diagnosis

Other syndromes that may include Cafe au lait spots:



Diagnosis

Physical Examination

Skin


See also

References



de:Café-au-lait-Fleck sr:Флеке боје беле кафе


Template:WikiDoc Sources

© 2026 MyEClinic – IFTM Institut für Telematik in der Medizin GmbH