Objective To investigate the application of lymph node dissection through a low-collar incision and a L-shaped incision to treat patients with thyroid cancer. Methods Ninety-two patients with thyroid cancer who were admitted to Xinyang Central Hospital between April 2017 and May 2020 were selected. Patients were randomly divided into control group and observation group with 46 patients in each group. Patients in the control group were treated with lymph node dissection through a L-shaped incision, and those in the observation group were treated with lymph node dissection through a low-collar incision. Surgical indicators, satisfaction with incision appearance, neck and shoulder pain, psychological status, complications, and prognosis were compared between the two groups. Results The operation time, length of incision, intraoperative blood loss, and hospital stay of the observation group were shorter or less than those of the control group (P<0.05). The satisfaction rate with incision appearance in the observation group was 93.48% , higher than 78.26% in the control group (P<0.05). The observation group had lower neck and shoulder pain score, anxiety score, and depression score than that of the control group (P<0.05). The lymph node metastasis rate and lymph node recurrence rate in the observation group were 0.00% and 2.17%. Compared with those in the control group (4.35% and 2.17%), the differences were not statistically significant (P>0.05). Conclusion Lymph node dissection through a low-collar incision can achieve better clinical effects in patients with thyroid cancer, especially in terms of complications and aesthetic effects.