Using insets changes surrounding geometry.
The issue is that whenever insetting I or Extrude + Scale (E+S) the surrounding geometry changes.
Is there a way to accomplish this task without effecting the look of the surrounding mesh (or at least make it seem that the surrounding geometry belongs with the rest of the geometry).
I've attached some pictures:
click to enlarge
In the pictures notice how everything is smooth in image 1 but by image 4 the surrounding areas after the inset seem like something was modified. Now if I want to extrude that little section in image 4 inside the mesh and create a cave, the surrounding mesh will just look weird.