A medical condition where cells in the skin lose their connection to each other, often causing blistering or separation of skin layers.
From Greek 'akantha' (thorn, spine) + 'lysis' (breaking apart, dissolution), referring to the separation of the spiny-looking cells.
Dermatologists named this after the 'acantha' because under a microscope, healthy skin cells have spiky connections—when acantholysis happens, those connections break apart like they're melting.
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