Keloid pathogenesis is correlated with fibroblast heterogeneity genes: single-cell transcriptomic analysis based on GEO database

• Single-cell transcriptomic analysis reveals significant alterations in cell composition in keloid tissues, with fibroblasts as the predominant cell type. • Pseudotime analysis indicates that keloid fibroblasts are at an early differentiation stage with high developmental potential. • HOXC4 is identified as a key diagnostic biomarker for keloids, showing high expression in keloid tissues and good diagnostic performance. • HOXC4 expression correlates with immune cell infiltration, suggesting its role in immune regulation within the keloid microenvironment.