They won't displace the surface if you inlet the hinge into both surfaces.
It's a skill that is easy to pick up. Xacto sells a scooper blade that was popular because it made the inletting dead simple and quick. But simply cutting a V works well too. Of course, you wind up needing to take extra care gluing. A skill that is easy to pick up. However, it's best to pick it up before your first inletting job.
(Actually..... knowing the risk ahead of time is often enough to trigger solutions.)