In two patients with localized epidermolysis bullosa (recurrent bullous eruption of the hands and feet or Weber-Cockayne syndrome), experimentally induced blisters were studied histopathologically. The blisters showed cleft formation in the suprabasal layer of the epidermis. Therapy with topically applied 10% glutaraldehyde was found to be beneficial, but the irritant and skin-sensitizing side-effects of this chemical proved to be a limiting factor in its use.