Brown spots on 8 year old

[Whatarethese]

Hi,
My son is 8 years old and in the last few months has developed pale brown spots on his skin. Probably about 4, possibly 5. He is very pale anyway, and has ginger hair. I have a doctor's telephone appointment this week and have sent pictures over in advance. They do seem to get darker in the sun, I'm wondering if that's why I have noticed them as he has spent a lot of time in the garden during lockdown. I stupidly googled and cafe au lait spots came up, as part of NF1, now I am starting to worry about this. Has anyone else got s child that has these spots, and if so, what was the outcome?
Thanks!

It could be lots of things.

I think you definitely need to see a dr , and possibly get a referral to rule out anything serious

Hi my 6 year old has 4 light brown patches and has had them since a couple months old. We have seen a dermatologist every year and a genetist both think NF1 is unlikely due to the atypical look of the patches and lack of other symptoms. My understanding is that the patches would have been present in the first few years of life for NF1 and there may be another diagnostic criteria. Please don't worry, see what the doctor says. I understand it is common for people to have these spots and it not to be clinically significant.

@Whatarethese brown spots are quite common in red hair children and NOT indicative of Nf1.
This is an extract from the top Nf1 doctor, Dr Korf's blog:
www.uab.edu/medicine/nfprogram/cafe-au-lait-statement-from-dr-korf
" We do see occasional healthy children with as many as six café-au-lait spots, though usually these spots are usually relatively indistinct and have irregular margins. Often these children have fair skin and red hair, or have parents of different ancestry, with one having darker skin than the other. These children tend to be healthy and do not have any underlying medical problem as far as is known."

I wouldn't worry. And by the way, I have Nf1 and not a single spot.