A surgical retractor comprising a base adapted to lie on the patient's skin, a handle slidably mounted with respect to the base, a tissue retracting blade extending from the handle, and a locking member movable from at least a first position to a second position to retain the tissue retracting blade in a selected position. A method for accessing the saphenous vein to facilitate harvesting the vein is also disclosed comprising the steps of making a small incision in the leg of a patient, positioning a retractor on a patient's leg such that a retractor blade extends into the incision and a base lies on the surface of the patient's leg and pulling the retractor blade away from the patient to lift the tissue away from the underlying saphenous vein.