Tricky,
You WILL experience shock loss without shaving your recipient area if you try to thicken the front and top. I GUARANTEE you that you will have shock loss because you have a healthy bit of hair up there and there is no reason why you should go back a few steps before you go forward. The ONLY way to avoid the majority of shock would be to shave the recipeient area so that the doctor can properly match your existing hair angles. By doing this there is no transection of native hair. Btw, when I say shock loss with relation to your case I am talking about the permanent type, not the temporary.
And there is no credence to take from patients saying that their doc was great and they had a wonderful experience. It is irrelevant to your situation.
Move forward with caution because you have more to lose than you have to gain.