Characterized by large numbers of benign but highly disfiguring tumors, neurofibromatosis 1 (NF-1) is anything but a subtle disease. Because they are glaringly conspicuous, research into NF-1 has largely focused on the tumors themselves. But in the May 20, 2019, issue of PLoS ONE, researchers have reported new insights into the disease that stem from looking not at the tumors themselves but at tumor-free skin from NF-1 patients.