Wound repair has always been a clinical challenge, and dermal substitutes have provided new treatments for the clinic as an emerging material. Dermal substitutes are divided into two categories: artificial dermal substitutes and artificial natural dermal substitutes. They have been widely used in various clinical fields, such as Burns and Plastic Surgery, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, abdominal wall surgery, Otolargngology, urology and obstetrics, etc. The effect is remarkable, but the mechanism of dermal replacement and the infection and complications in clinical application still need to be further studied and solved, thus providing better prospects for clinical application. This article reviews research progress and clinical application of dermal substitutes.