An improved surgical blade with an integrated soft tissue guard, the blade being generally a flat, rectangular section of metal including one blunt end shaped to fit into a surgical blade handle and one sharpened end for cutting tissue, with the soft tissue guard extending from the sharpened end and being a flat, blunt, tongue-shaped protrusion extending in a perpendicular orientation to the sharpened end, where the soft tissue guard provides protection to the skin when the blade is used for resection of ingrown nails.
