What should you know about skin pemphigus vulgaris?

The immune system targets proteins that help neighbouring skin cells hold together. As a result, delicate blisters can form on normal-looking or mildly red skin and may break easily, leaving painful raw areas. The mouth and other moist surfaces can be involved, making eating or swallowing uncomfortable. Diagnosis usually combines the examination with a skin sample and specialised testing. Other blistering disorders, infections, medicine reactions, and burns can look similar, so a clinician should confirm the cause rather than relying on appearance alone.

Keep broken areas clean and protect them from rubbing. Use dressings and wound-care products recommended by your clinical team, and avoid popping intact blisters unless instructed. Soft foods and gentle oral care may help when the mouth is sore. Treatment often aims to calm the immune attack and prevent new blisters; options may include [Oral Corticosteroid Treatment](/treatments/medical-dermatology/oral-corticosteroid-therapy/) or [Biologic Therapy](/treatments/medical-dermatology/biologic-therapy/). Do not start, stop, or change these medicines without supervision.

Contact your medical team promptly if blisters spread quickly, wounds become increasingly painful, or you notice pus, warmth, fever, or a bad smell. Emergency help is needed for trouble breathing, severe swallowing difficulty, dehydration, eye pain, or extensive skin loss. Broken skin can lose fluid and provide an entry point for infection, so worsening symptoms should not wait for a routine visit.

Which tests will confirm the diagnosis? How should I dress open areas? What medicine effects should I report, and who should I contact if mouth or eye symptoms develop?