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Café-au-lait spots
System: Skin & Nail Signs · All skin & nail signs
What it is — and how it is elicited
Flat, coffee-coloured patches of skin pigment, present from childhood; a few are common, but six or more larger than 1.5 cm in an adult is significant.
What a positive finding suggests
Multiple large spots are associated with neurofibromatosis type 1.
Related signs — Skin & Nail Signs
Browse the C section of the A–Z list or return to the Clinical Signs hub.
Please note: This page is an educational reference about clinical examination signs. A clinical sign supports — and never replaces — a full clinical evaluation, examination and appropriate testing. A sign being present does not by itself prove a diagnosis, and an absent sign does not rule one out. If you have symptoms that worry you, see a health professional.