The 100 most cited articles in androgenetic alopecia: A bibliometric analysis

Androgenetic alopecia (AGA) is a condition with a rapidly evolving research landscape. The expanding volume of AGA research necessitates synthesis to identify trends and gaps. Bibliometric analysis can be used to quantify the characteristics of a body of literature, and this technique has not been previously applied to AGA. We aimed to evaluate the bibliometric characteristics of the top 100 most cited AGA articles over the past 50 years. This includes the analysis of contributing authorship, institutional affiliation, journal representation, publication years, citation counts, country productivity, and funding sources, among other characteristics. We used the Web of Science to identify and characterize the 100 most cited AGA publications between 1975 and 2024. A secondary analysis was performed to identify and characterize the top 20 most cited AGA articles from 2020 to 2024. The top 100 articles amassed 24,289 citations. Authors from the United States contributed the most articles (n = 56). The University of Pennsylvania contributed the most articles (n = 11). Dr Elise A Olsen and Dr George Cotsarelis were the most frequent contributors. The Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology published the most number of articles. From 1975 to 2024, most studies primarily discussed pathophysiology (45%) and treatment (35%). However, from 2020 to 2024, 75% of the top articles focused on the treatment options. This bibliometric analysis provides an overview of influential AGA research over the last 50 years, highlighting shifting trends toward treatment optimization and emerging therapies.