Objective To study the application effect of surround-mammary areola incision and radial incision in breast conserving therapy for breast cancer patients. Methods A total of 96 patients with breast cancer admitted to Cangzhou Central Hospital from January 2020 to January 2022 were selected. They were divided into observation group and control group according to the different operation method, with 48 cases in each group. The observation group was treated with surround-mammary areola incision, and the control group was treated with radial incision. The perioperative related indexes, scar healing, breast cosmetic degree, neurological function recovery and complications were compared between the two groups. Results The operation time and intraoperative blood loss in the observation group were higher than those in the control group, and the hospitalization time and scar length were lower than those in the control group, and the differences were statistically significant (P<0.05). At 1, 3 and 6 months after operation, the Vancouver Scar Scale (VSS) score of the observation group was lower than that of the control group, and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). The excellent and good rate of breast beauty in the observation group was higher than that in the control group, and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). The recovery time of touch and pain in the observation group was lower than that in the control group, and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). The incidence of complications such as incision infection and local hematoma in the observation group was lower than that in the control group, and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). Conclusion In breast conserving therapy for breast cancer, compared with radial incision, surround-mammary areola incision can reduce the impact of surgical incision on aesthetics and enhance surgical safety