CAFE AU LAIT MACULES

Course overview

CAFE-AU-LAIT MACULES (CALMS) ARE COMMON PIGMENTED LESIONS FOUND IN THE GENERAL POPULATION. THEY CAN BE DESCRIBED AS WELL-CIRCUMSCRIBED, PIGMENTED MACULES OR PATCHES RANGING FROM LIGHT TO DARK BROWN. THEIR SIZE MAY RANGE FROM A FEW MILLIMETERS TO SEVERAL CENTIMETERS (>20CM) AND MAY APPEAR AT BIRTH OR EARLY LIFE. MULTIPLE CALMS ARE OFTEN ASSOCIATED WITH GENETIC SYNDROMES FOR WHICH THE PATIENT AND FAMILY MEMBERS NEED TO BE EVALUATED BY AN INTERPROFESSIONAL TEAM. CALMS ARE MOSTLY BENIGN AND ARE TREATED WITH LASER THERAPY FOR COSMETIC PURPOSES. THIS ACTIVITY REVIEWS THE EVALUATION AND TREATMENT OF CAFE-AU-LAIT MACULES AND HIGHLIGHTS THE ROLE OF THE INTERPROFESSIONAL TEAM IN EVALUATING AND TREATING PATIENTS WITH THIS CONDITION.