God that`s a huge factor all right .... how will you manage as time goes on and you need to replace it ? It`s not possible to give an accurate estimate of how long an individual wearer will get from one system to the next --there are just too many variables in the mix [including weather / temperatures] which all have a bearing on how many weeks/months your system/s are likely to last.
I`ve worn the ` older` style [thicker] skin systems in my topper days.... the ` skin` usually lasted longer than the hair but the lack of breathe-ability for my scalp and hygiene concerns made me change to lace..... I prefer lace now, but as I said in the original post, the ` combination` of skin and lace is good .... I`ve worn them before going ` all-lace` .... you can do a perimeter-bond, and the majority of you scalp can breathe and you can expose your head to water [ as in the shower] and sweat can be rinsed/ diluted off your scalp. The only ` caution` with the combination is that because the hair is ventilated into the skin part differently to hand-tied hair on the lace, sometimes there can be a difference in the way the hair lies, but to be honest, having worn them numerous times, I never ever had an issue with it . The poly helps keep the system in ` shape` when you`re doing your attachment/s .....don`t over-stress this game..it`s not as difficult as you imagine..just have your research done, don`t get a shock when the thing arrives for the first time and pops out of the bag looking like a floor-mop..it`ll look totally different when it settles after a few washings and when it`s cut-in.....I keep this as simple as possible---- infrequent shampooings and using ` PPI Enhance` leave-in conditioner regularly, after spritzing with water first...... my systems last me months.
Best wishes with your ` battle` !