Worried about Café au lait marks?

[butterflydress]

My DD is 10 months and has this mark on her leg. I've also noticed what could be the start of another. I've googled and now scared myself about them possibly being a symptom of something called Neurofibromas?(sp)
Has anyone else got these marks?

My daughter has a couple, mostly faded away now she is 4 but when she was a baby I read about this too. Nothing to be concerned about I don't think, I know lots of adults and children with them. Please don't worry x

I have them and 2 of my kids do. Never been mentioned by any doctors or anything. DD is 3 months old so been checked over by many docs lots of times recently. I’m sure it’s fine!

They look nothing like Neurofibromas,I don't think you need to worry about that.

Meant to say I have one too and all fine.

Is she fair haired/skinned. Both my DC have them, it's a normal variant in some fair skinned kids (mine are blonde/ginger).

My ds10 had one on his leg like that and he has no health issues.

If they have at least 10 cafe au lait marks that is a marker to get checked for neurofibromatosis, not just a few.

My ds has some.

They actually looked at neurofibromatosis because he does have a disability.

But his is something very rare and they don't think it's connected.

It's at least 6 or more to be a marker for NF1.

I have 3 CALs. No other signs of NF1, ever. I was worried my elder daughter might have it for a different reason (though she has no CALs at all, the internet still worried me as it seems to have worried you!) so I took her to a dermatologist friend of the family who told me his own daughter has 4 CALs! There's nothing otherwise unusual about her, she's a perfectly healthy adult without NF1.

(I was assured my daughter definitely doesn't have NF1 either btw!).

Since then, I've seen several children on the school run with a CAL or two on their leg or arm or neck or whatever - they're actually really quite common.

I don't think there's any need at all to worry about one or two marks, though I do totally get the fear.

XH has a couple, DS has several and DD has a couple. Only DS has a diagnosis of NF1 - picked up as part of his ADHD diagnosis. He has never suffered any health complications / fibromas. The paed said before the age of 5 they don't consider NF1 as there are so many small children with CALs that disappear

Here are mine! I'm pretty fair skinned with reddish-blonde hair, and I believe they are most common in people with this type of colouring.

My daughter has some small marks on her arm. She is naturally fair (can tan though) with red hair. They have never bothered her.

There was a thread on here a few months ago, OP, you may want to search for. But yeah the consensus was the same as this one, that if there are just one or two they are nothing to worry about.

My daughter has many, there has to be more than 6 and bigger than a 50p I think. Keep an eye out for any more and just monitor. If more do appear then you can get it checked out but they can’t always provide a diagnosis until they are older and develop further symptoms.

6 or more can be a marker but not a couple as this is very common

Thank you so much everyone for your reassurance and advice

Wow, I have a couple of these and never knew they had a name! A quick google backs up the reassurance given from other posters, of course go to gp if ever unsure, but they shouldn't be anything to worry about.

I have five of various sizes - don't have NF.

Hi there, how is your child doing, my son had a similar cafe-au-lait spot