Abstract: A customized external cranioplasty includes a rigid section and a rim at least one of attached to or integral with the rigid section and extending at least partially around a periphery of the rigid section. The rigid section has a size and shape to substantially match a cranial defect and includes an impact-resistant material to provide protection and support to a user due to the cranial defect. The rim facilitates secure and comfortable contact of the customized external cranioplasty to the user's head. A method of producing a customized external cranioplasty includes receiving three-dimensional imaging data for at least a portion of a subject's skull that has a cranial defect: segmenting the cranial defect region from a surrounding portion of the subject's skull to obtain a surface requiring support by the customized external cranioplasty; and producing a rigid section of the customized external cranioplasty using said surface requiring support obtained from the segmenting.