A surgical retractor includes a base defining an open area therein to correspond with a surgical incision in a body. The base has an inner wall facing the open area and an outer wall facing away from the open area. A plurality of channels extend through the base between the inner and outer walls, and at least one of the channels is at an angle offset from normal to the inner wall where the at least one channel intersects the inner wall. A respective retractor arm is carried within each of the channels for retracting the body to open the surgical incision. In a surgical method, such as a thyroidectomy, a base is positioned so that the open area corresponds with a surgical incision in a body. Respective retractor arms carried within each of the channels are moved to retract the body to open the surgical incision.