The most influential research in laser therapy for acne and acne scars: A bibliometric analysis

Abstract

Laser therapy is a key acne treatment, yet no bibliometric study has integrated advanced metrics, co-word dynamics, keyword clustering, and citation analysis of the top 100 papers. Three Scopus search strategies were used, and the top 100 most cited papers were analyzed for descriptive statistics and citation impact. The Title-Abstract-Keyword (TAK) search identified 2,352 papers, with output increasing steadily from 2004 and reaching a peak in 2024 (187 papers). The Abstract-only search retrieved 1,209 papers, also peaking in 2024 (98 papers), while the Title-only search yielded 468 papers, with the highest output in 2021 (39 papers). The 100 most cited papers, published between 1986 and 2021, were drawn from 35 sources and comprised 86 original articles and 14 reviews. These papers exhibited no annual growth, had an average age of 16 years, and received an average of 71.54 citations each. From this title-based analysis, several clear research foci emerged: (1) laser resurfacing and fractional CO₂ laser therapy for atrophic acne scars, including comparative trials with Er: YAG and Nd: YAG lasers; (2) pulsed dye lasers and photodynamic therapy for inflammatory acne; (3) diode and nonablative fractional lasers for reducing sebum production and treating scars in diverse skin types; (4) platelet-rich plasma and radiofrequency microneedling as adjuncts to laser therapy to enhance collagen remodeling; and (5) emerging modalities such as picosecond, indocyanine-green, and 675-nm lasers for targeted acne management. These focal areas represent the primary thematic directions of the most influential studies in the field. This first comprehensive bibliometric analysis of laser therapy for acne identifies fractional CO₂ lasers, nonablative fractional lasers, and combination therapies as dominant research themes, while highlighting emerging modalities such as picosecond and 675-nm lasers. These findings align with current clinical priorities and provide a data-driven roadmap for future therapeutic innovation.

Keywords: Acne treatment; Bibliometric analysis; Citation impact; Co-word analysis; Laser therapy; Research trends.