[1] The name café au lait is French for "coffee with milk" and refers to their light-brown color.

[3] Café au lait lesions with rough borders ("coast of Maine") may be seen in McCune–Albright syndrome.

[4][5] In contrast, café au lait lesions of neurofibromatosis type 1 have smooth borders ("coast of California").

[10] Café au lait spots are usually present at birth, permanent, and may grow in size or increase in number over time.

[3] Café au lait spots are themselves benign and do not cause any illness or problems.