We have used external wire framesExternal wire frames to fix skin graftsSkin grafts since 1986. In 1991, we reported this method and described two advantages: (1) It secures the graft to the wound bed, and (2) it prevents the graft edges from lifting (Hirai T et al. Br J Plast Surg 44:69–70, 1991). We also showed that this technique is useful for skin graftsSkin grafts in regions with free borders. These regions include the lips and eyelids (Murakami M et al. Br J Plast Surg 56:312–313, 2003). The eyelids are particularly suited to external wire-frameExternal wire-frame fixation because it obviates the need for tarsorrhaphyTarsorrhaphy (Murakami M et al. Br J Plast Surg 56:312–313, 2003). Moreover, three-dimensional external wire framesExternal wire frames are also useful for preventing joint movement in digits that have undergone skin grafting (Ogawa R et al. Plast Reconstr Surg 119(1):440–442, 2007). This obviates the need for invasive digital-jointDigital-joint pinning. This is particularly helpful when graftingGrafting the palmarPalmar surfaces of fingers.