Global analysis and hotspot exploration of acne scarring: a bibliometric visualization approach

Abstract

BACKGROUND: As societal attention to acne scarring has increased, the number of emerging studies in this field has risen markedly. However, traditional reviews and meta-analyses are limited in their ability to accurately predict future development trends. Therefore, bibliometric methods are needed to clarify the research landscape and trajectory within this domain. OBJECTIVE: To analyze the research status and future trends of acne scars from 2000 to 2025 using bibliometric methods. METHODS: The relevant papers and reviews on the research of acne scars from 2000 to 2025 were retrieved using the Web of Science Core Collection. And Excel, CiteSpace, VOSviewer and BibliomeTools (R-Tool of R-Studio) were used to analyze the citation frequency, countries/institutions, authors/co-cited authors, journals/co-cited journals, keywords and co-cited references. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: From January 1, 2000 to February 28, 2025, both the annual publication volume and the number of citations in the field of acne scars showed an upward trend. Among them, the annual publication volume reached a peak of 114 articles in 2022; the number of citations reached the highest value of 3 933 times in 2024. The analysis of countries/regions shows that the United States is in a leading position globally in this field, with the highest publication volume and citation count. French author Dreno, Brigitte and American author Alster, Ts rank first in publication volume and co-citation count, respectively, and are authoritative authors in this field. The institution with the highest number of publications is Tehran University of Medical Sciences in Iran, while more than half of the top-cited institutions are from the United States, represented by Harvard University. Dermatologic Surgery published the most articles in this field and is also the most co-cited journal. The most common keyword is 'acne scar', appearing 275 times. Keywords such as 'microneedling', 'atrophic scar', and 'subcision' have received increasing attention in recent years. The most cited article is 'Acne vulgaris' by Williams, HC et al., with 814 citations as of February 28, 2025. This bibliometric analysis reveals that the treatment of acne scars, especially laser therapy, has been a research hotspot and will continue to be a future development trend.

1. Introduction

Acne is a chronic inflammatory skin disease primarily affecting the pilosebaceous units of the face, chest, and upper back, with clinical manifestations including comedones, inflammatory papules, cysts, nodules, and pustules. Current research indicates that the pathogenesis of acne is closely related to excessive androgen secretion, increased sebum production, abnormal follicular keratinization, and Cutibacterium acnes infection [1-3]. Epidemiological data show that approximately 80% of adolescents are affected by acne, with moderate-to-severe forms impacting about 20% of young people. Globally, the prevalence of acne is as high as 9.4%, ranking it eighth among common diseases [4-5]. When acne is improperly managed, diagnosis and treatment are delayed, or the condition is severe, it can easily lead to the formation of acne scars. For adolescents, acne scars can undermine self-esteem and are significant factors in triggering psychological issues such as anxiety and depression.

The exact mechanisms underlying acne scar formation remain incompletely understood. Some scholars suggest that excessive collagen deposition leads to hypertrophic scars and keloids, while reduced collagen deposition results in atrophic scars [6-8]. Common treatment modalities for acne scars include surgical intervention, laser therapy, radiofrequency, and chemical peels [9]. Among these, laser therapy has emerged as a research hotspot in recent years, further subdivided into ablative lasers (e.g., fractional CO2 laser, erbium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet laser) and non-ablative lasers (e.g., erbium-glass laser, neodymium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet laser) [10-12]. With increasing societal attention to acne scarring, the number of emerging research outputs in this field has surged. However, there is a lack of systematic global analysis of academic achievements and research status in this area. Traditional reviews and meta-analyses are insufficient for accurately predicting future development trends, making it difficult for researchers to grasp current hotspots, challenges, and future directions.

In this context, bibliometrics, an interdisciplinary field born in the 1960s, provides methodological support to address these issues. Bibliometrics integrates knowledge from mathematics, statistics, and other disciplines, and through quantitative analysis of various knowledge carriers, it has become a key tool in information science [13-14]. In recent years, innovations in bibliometric methods have enabled visualization and network analysis, expanding from 'static co-occurrence networks' to 'dynamic evolutionary networks' and 'multi-layer heterogeneous networks' [15]. In the field of acne scars, numerous clinical and basic research achievements have significantly advanced the field, yet bibliometric studies specifically targeting this area are rare. Therefore, this study systematically collected and analyzed academic literature on acne scars from recent years, exploring core themes, major contributors, and future trends to provide a comprehensive overview for researchers and clinicians.