Global Trends and Scientific Impact of Topical Probiotics in Dermatological Treatment and Skincare

Abstract

The skin plays a crucial role in maintaining homeostasis and protecting against external aggressors. Recent research has highlighted the potential of probiotics and postbiotics in dermatological treatments and skincare. These beneficial microorganisms interact with the skin microbiota, modulate the immune response, and enhance the skin barrier, offering a promising therapeutic avenue for various skin conditions, such as acne, dermatitis, eczema, and psoriasis. This bibliometric study aims to analyze the global trends and scientific impact of topical probiotics in dermatology. By reviewing 106 articles published between 2013 and 2023, the study categorizes the applications of probiotics in wound healing, inflammatory skin diseases, and general skincare. The findings indicate a significant increase in publications from 2021 onwards, attributed to the heightened focus on medical research during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study also identifies the most productive countries, institutions, and authors in this field, highlighting the importance of international collaborations. The results underscore the efficacy of probiotic-based topical formulations in improving skin health, reducing inflammation, and enhancing wound healing. This comprehensive analysis supports the development of new therapeutic strategies based on topical probiotics and encourages high-quality research in this promising area.

Keywords: inflammatory skin diseases; skin care; skin microbiome; topical probiotics; wound healing.

Figure 1

Keywords used in the advanced search of the Web of Science.

Figure 2

Total publications and citations per year.

Figure 3

International collaboration networks among countries conducting research on the use of probiotics for wound healing, inflammation, and skin care. The countries actively participating in this research are represented by nodes, with their size indicating the number of publications from each country. The connecting lines between countries represent their collaborations in scientific publications, and the thickness of the lines reflects the intensity of these international partnerships. This color-coded visualization depicts collaboration clusters, representing groups of countries that frequently collaborate on scientific publications.

Figure 4

The visual depicts the 19 organizations at the forefront of experimental collaborative research on the topical use of probiotics. The node sizes correspond to publication volume, while the color groupings signify the primary collaboration clusters. This map elucidates the key network driving advancements in topical probiotic research, underscoring the significance of strategic partnerships in fostering scientific discoveries and new therapeutic possibilities. The different colors represent collaboration clusters, indicating groups of institutions that frequently collaborate on scientific publications. Institutions with a total link strength greater than or equal to 4 were selected.

Figure 5

Co-authorship map between authors who have published articles on the topical use of probiotics in wound healing processes, skin inflammation, and general skin care. The colored clusters represent groups of authors who have collaborated closely. The node size corresponds to each author’s publication output, and the lines between nodes indicate collaborations between authors. Thicker lines indicate a stronger collaboration intensity. Authors with a total link strength greater than or equal to 15 were selected.

Figure 6

Citation mapping of the top 10 journals in research on dermatology with probiotics. This citation map visualizes the relationships among the 10 most influential journals in probiotic dermatology research. The graph shows how these journals are interconnected, citing each other, and contributing to the field. The distinct colored clusters represent groups of closely related journals based on their citation patterns. The size of the nodes reflects the number of publications in each journal, highlighting the collaborative nature of scientific research and knowledge dissemination through these influential publications.

Figure 7

(a) Categorization into experimental and review papers. (b) Categorization by application proposals.

Figure 8

Top 10 Web of Science Categories.

Figure 9

Keyword co-occurrence network in experimental articles on the topical use of probiotics on the skin. The keywords presented are those that appear at least five times within the data. The visual nodes depict these keywords, with their size proportional to the frequency of occurrence. The cluster colors represent distinct research domains. The connections between the nodes illustrate the co-occurrence of keywords across the analyzed articles, thereby elucidating the inter-relationships among the various research themes.

Figure 10

Probiotic strains most frequently used in topical skin care products according to the experimental studies reviewed.

Figure 11

Probiotic-based topical formulations developed in the enrolled studies.

Figure 12

Bibliographic coupling network of experimental articles on the topical use of probiotics on the skin. The visualization depicts individual research articles as nodes, with node size indicative of the citation count for each article. The distinct colors of the nodes denote different clusters, which group together articles that share a high number of citations, implying a close thematic connection. Furthermore, the lines connecting the nodes represent the strength of bibliographic coupling, which illustrates the intensity of citations shared among the articles.

Figure 13

Bibliographic coupling network between the 10 most cited review articles on the use of topical probiotics in skin health. The nodes symbolize individual articles, with their size indicating the number of citations that each article has received. The cluster colors represent groupings of articles based on their bibliographic relationships. The lines connecting the nodes show the strength of bibliographic coupling between articles, reflecting the number of shared references.