How badly will bleach damage my hair if its virgin hair

I’m thinking about lightening my hair from dark brown to a light brown, and I’d be getting it done professionally at a salon (not DIY).

Right now, my hair is virgin, straight, and of medium thickness. I’ve attached photos of my current colour and the kind of light brown I’m hoping to achieve.

From what I understand, bleach is usually needed to lighten hair, but I’m a bit worried about how damaging it actually is, even when done professionally. A friend of mine with a similar starting colour bleached her hair a few times and said it really affected the texture and overall health of her hair, which made me hesitate.

So I wanted to ask:

• How damaging is it, realistically, to go from dark brown to light brown with professional bleaching?
• Is it less damaging since my hair is virgin?
• Would something like highlights or balayage be a safer alternative in terms of maintaining hair health?

I’d really appreciate input from hairdressers or anyone who’s gone through something similar! I've added pics of my og colour, the highlights I may consider, as well as the lighter brown colour I ideally want.

Og hair colour

Highlights i may consider

What i want to dye it originally